LooseHeadz

#TackleTheStigma - While rugby is our passion, the main reason behind LooseHeadz is that we’re trying to make a difference to the lives of people who’ve been touched by mental illness. We have all been affected somehow; we all know someone who’s had a life wobble, and we’ve all perhaps felt a little inadequate in being able to help. We want to tackle that stigma and raise awareness of the issues and how to get proper help.

We recognise that a joined-up and fresh approach to mental health is required. The statistics surrounding male suicide are shocking: Suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 50. Men account for 76% of suicides in the UK, yet, only 36% of people referred to psychological therapies in the UK are male. Something is wrong and it’s most likely the stigma surrounding it. Using our sport of rugby, we think that big voices in the game we adore speaking openly about mental health, we can break down the barriers.

It’s not just men and it’s not just adults. It’s also not just rugby, but that’s our passion and hopefully through this we can make a difference and change the focus to getting help and making that help readily available despite the lack of funding for it.

Everybody has mental health and it is commonly misunderstood. Just like physical health, we need to look after our mental health. Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not important.