19 March 2026
A blog by Dave Sopp about men and mental health
My name is David and I have been a service user of Sussex Partnership for…well let's just say I'm surprised I don't get invited to their Christmas parties it's been that long!
I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder at 18 and now, as a 52-year-old man I still feel I need to “dip in” sometimes just to refresh my mind on certain coping strategies or catch up on any new ways that can help me with day to day life.
Over the years there have been a few changes, some good, some not so, but the one I want to talk about today is that I'm now not the only man in group sessions or waiting anxiously in the waiting room.
After hundreds of years of men being told to “man up” or bury their emotions it seems that we are finally learning to express our feeling and not suffer alone. I couldn’t imagine my grandfather, an Irish farmer and father of 12, telling my nan he was feeling down, or having a bad day. He would “suck it up” and get on with it, which I reckon is why all men in old black and white photos look so miserable.
I don't class myself as a “new man”, I still moan about the weather and sulk when my football team loses, but because I made that first step many years ago and said “I need help” my life has not always been under a dark cloud.
Because of this, myself and a friend decided to start a men's walking and talking group.
We meet up every Wednesday and were so surprised (with hardly any advertising) how well it's been going within the first six months. We have a complete range of ages and backgrounds, some talk, some listen, but best of all is we all share our own experiences of life.
I don't want to bore you with stats but 3/4 of suicides in the UK are men, making it the lead cause of death in men under 50. So, it's great to see more groups like ours are popping up and I feel that I'm actually helping by sharing my story and ways of coping. At last, men are finally doing what women have done for years, and that is to support each other.
Call Dave if you would like to join the group on 07553603632. They meet at the William Hardwicke in Bognor high street on Wednesdays at 6pm.
