The silent epidemic: Mental health and suicide in the built environment

As the built environment sector faces a worsening mental health crisis, with male workers in particular far more likely to take their own life than in other industries, Alma Sheren investigates why the problem has gotten so bad and what's being done to help.

Over the last five years, suicide in the built environment has been consistently rising. Those who work in the industry are now nearly four times more likely to die from suicide than any other sector, according to the Office for National Statistics. 

A study by Cambridge University showed that, at least pre-pandemic, mental health problems such as depression were most common in the hospitality and real estate sectors, and a recent re-examination of the data appears to show this is on the rise. 

The research found that around one in seven people in the UK workplace experiences mental health problems, with women being nearly twice as likely to have mental health problems as men, which can be linked to a variety of societal and economic factors. 

However, ONS data shows that men have consistently accounted for more than three quarters of suicides since the mid-1990s in the UK. So, what is causing this disparity among mental health sufferers, and why is it so prevalent across our built environment industries? 

The heart of the matter

The Samaritans state that middle aged men from disadvantaged backgrounds are most at risk of suicide in the UK, and list six presiding factors which contribute to this: 

• Personality traits 
• Masculinity 
• Challenges of mid-life 
• Relationship breakdown 
• Emotional illiteracy 
• Socio-economic background. 

The pandemic appears to have heightened the contribution of these factors to male suicide rates, whilst the built environment has come under increasing socio-economic pressures year on year, with further burdens and challenges on the horizon. 

According to Micheal’s House, a treatment centre for mental health conditions and substance abuse, cultural norms about gender can impact whether individuals seek help for mental health issues. They state that men are often expected to be self-reliant and suppress their emotions, and may be less likely to seek professional help than women. 

Another collection of studies by Verywell Mind indicates that, although women may contemplate suicide more often, they may be more reluctant to engage in a serious suicide attempt because the act is seen as violent and "masculine”, and they are more likely to consider the impact on other people, as well as feeling it is more acceptable for them to reach out for help.

Although much is being done to create more diversity across the built environment, construction is still principally a male-dominated industry, and with it, many traditional attitudes and behaviours toward men’s mental health persist.

Those working to tackle what has been coined the ‘silent epidemic’ enveloping construction and associated industries over the past half decade have cited these attitudes and behaviours as playing a major part in professionals not seeking, or receiving, the help they need. 

Despite there being a consistent increase in the overall support available for mental health across the built environment in recent years, the take-up levels are still low. The ONS data shows that 507 construction workers took their own lives in 2021 alone, which is equivalent to nearly two people every day. Unless cultural expectations around men’s mental health change, no amount of support on offer will be enough to effectively tackle these issues. 

The change-makers

There has, however, been a concerted effort over the last decade from several key groups to change the narrative around mental health and build a more supportive culture across theses hard-to-reach industry segments. 

Mates in Mind was formed seven years ago in a bid to reduce the gap identified in 2015 by the Health in Construction Leadership Group in mental health support, specifically for the built environment sector. One of the key focuses has been on “getting the industry talking and equipping workers to be able to spot the signs of someone struggling”, according to an interview given by Steve Hails, chair of trustees at Mates in Mind, with the British Safety Council in February last year. 

Band of Builders supports those who have worked in the built environment with a variety of physical and mental health issues. They are a national UK Construction charity who deliver life-enhancing projects for tradespeople and their families dealing with challenging circumstances. The charity also promotes mental health and awards grants for those in urgent financial need. 

Shirley Heapy  |  The Clive Smith Foundation

Clive was married, with a young daughter he adored and many friends – yet nobody knew he was considering ending his life

The Clive Smith Foundation is the first charity specifically within the housing sector dedicated to tackling mental health issues with the aim of eradicating suicide. The foundation was set up in 2021, after its namesake unexpectedly took his own life, leaving his family, friends, and colleagues devastated. 

The charity aims to provide a better understanding of mental health issues that can lead to suicide in the built environment and encourages sympathetic, open debate on mental health issues facing men, whilst challenging the stigma.

“Clive was a successful architect, becoming partner at both PRP then Baily Garner,” CEO Shirley Heapy (pictured, right) explains. “He was married, happily, with a young daughter he adored. He had many friends, yet nobody knew he was considering ending his life. 

“His colleagues and close friends felt the importance of not standing by and allowing this to happen to another person – and their family and friends – whilst there are things we can do to alleviate the issues that cause this suffering.” 

As the impact of the last few years’ economic and societal challenges takes a deeper hold, greater pressures are being experienced by professionals across housing and the built environment. Shirley explains why it is so important to create a more prominent space across the housing and construction industries to tackle mental health and suicide issues, and why it should be at the top of every housing and construction leader’s agenda in 2024. 

“The impact of poor mental health and suicide upon our society cannot be underestimated – particularly in the wake of the pandemic,” she says. “The Clive Smith Foundation has a strong focus on raising awareness across the housing sector and built environment industry and collaborating with mental health experts and industry leaders.

“We are developing proactive services to support people suffering with poor mental health, eradicate stigma and provide the tools for organisations to support their people. 

“2024 will be a pivotal year for tackling the root causes of poor mental health, and the foundation has a major role to play in supporting the housing sector and built environment industry.”

The workplace is the biggest cause of poor mental health across the UK, with record number off work due to stress. A report by Ironmongery Direct found nearly half (49%) of construction workers currently experience poor mental health due to work-related issues. Suicide is also the biggest killer of men under 50. The Clive Smith Foundation has been working with several organisations recently in tackling some of these challenges at their core.

454 hard hats laid out at the Leeds College of Building to represent the number of construction workers who commit suicide every year (Cr: Ironmongery Direct) 

“During 2022, we collaborated with The Men’s Coach in developing a pilot programme of workshops with a national contractor and a regional housing association, which have been extremely successful,” Shirley says. “We are now in discussions with the contractor to roll out the programme nationwide. 

“We are also working with a mental health and HR professional to produce a leadership programme for industry leaders and senior managers to educate and provide the tools to create healthy and open environments in the workplace, with a focus on prevention over intervention in promoting good mental health.

“We attend industry events, speak on panels, and utilise exhibition stands to raise awareness at every opportunity. We also have webinars in the pipeline for 2024 – including with Women in Social Housing."

2024 is looking to be a big year for the foundation, which is expecting to receive its charity registration status confirmation – to be marked by an event celebrating being officially open for business – and to launch its services offer. 

In addition, “Clive’s 60th birthday falls on 5 April in 2024, and we plan to honour the occasion with a special award.” 

Banding together 

Lovell Homes, a founding partner of the Clive Smith Foundation, has been investing in mental health support for their workforce using a variety of engagement methods.

“We are immensely proud to be supporting the Clive Smith Foundation as a founder partner,” says partnership manager Gill Dunningham. “At Lovell, we believe that the mental wellbeing of our staff and supply chain partners is an absolute priority. We have a strong established mental health team who are highly accessible day to day via multiple regular activities including a quarterly quiz and newsletter.” 

To compliment and build on their existing initiatives via the foundation, Lovell has also engaged Ryan Parke at The Men’s Coach to support their teams with specialised mental health coaching sessions. Following a pilot workshop with the senior management team at their Farringdon office, Ryan recently delivered two sessions at their large regeneration project in Woolwich, during which he highlighted how 99% of construction workers who took their own life in 2021 were male. 

“Ultimately, our strategy is to upskill men in the areas that have a proven impact on wellbeing and resilience, in a way that’s highly engaging for men and inclusive to everybody who supports men,” he said. “This makes happier, healthier and more productive teams. 

“This is only made possible by The Clive Smith Foundation, who have opened doors within the construction industry, and the feedback so far from all genders is that this style of delivery is having a real impact.” 

The likes of Ryan and Gill argue that, at a time where the built environment and associated industries are set to become increasingly pressured, we need these types of initiatives and support groups more than ever. 

Understanding these pressures and how society expects different social segments to deal with them, they say, must become a key focus in challenging the narrative around mental health. Similarly, enlisting the support of gender specific, as well as general, mental health support groups will be an important step forward in building a better support system for those struggling in silence. 

It will take one brick at a time to achieve this, but the more bricks put in place, the easier it will become for others to speak out and receive the support they need. 

• If you are suffering in silence and need someone to talk to, The Clive Smith Foundation has a list of support groups you can reach out to confidentially

Main image: Kummai/Shutterstock