My grandad’s generation was defined by a deafening silence surrounding mental health: this silence still defines our own.

I have lost count of the amount of male friends who have drunkenly phoned me about their suicidal intentions in the dead of night, only to dismiss them in the morning as ‘stupid’ thoughts borne out of the emotional scope of drink. I have lost count of the scores of male mates who have told me that they can’t get out of bed because they don’t know how to feel anything anymore, yet still refuse to seek help. These are the same men who mock their friends for crying on a night out, for confessing their feelings about someone they fancy, who think that feelings are for the weak. They’re taught to lead duplicitous lives because of dangerous spokespeople like Morgan who possess a deluded vision of what it takes to be a man, and what it takes to have a valid mental illness.

If Morgan wants men to ‘man up’, he’s already winning: men aren’t speaking out, and suicide is officially the single biggest killer of men aged between 20 and 49 years old. This corrosive, dangerous and outdated gender stereotype is preventing people from seeking help and, ultimately, destroying them. Morgan is employing language that kills.

It’s high time that this relic was removed from our television screens, because, no matter how much he scoffs at mental health statistics, he is contributing to one undeniable rise – the rise of male suicide.

Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you're feeling, or if you're worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org.

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“Man up: why Piers Morgan’s cavalier approach to mental health is so very dangerous”