From Stigma to Support: Men’s Mental Health and Addiction – A South Asian Perspective for Rochdale”

Men’s mental health in the UK

Across the UK, men remain far more likely to die by suicide than women, especially in midlife, and many reach crisis without ever speaking to a professional. National strategies now explicitly name men and boys as a priority group, recognising that masculine norms around “coping alone” and not showing vulnerability are costing lives. Recent government work also stresses early support for boys and young men in schools, colleges and community settings, before problems escalate into self‑harm or suicide.

At the same time, frontline organisations report that men often present late, in A&E, police custody or homelessness services, rather than through routine GP or talking‑therapy routes. This late presentation makes it harder to offer preventative help and places huge strain on families, especially partners, parents and children who have been trying to carry the load on their own. For a charity like The Salik Project, this context explains why local outreach to men cannot be an optional extra; it has to be core business.

Addiction as a second crisis

Addiction is tightly interwoven with men’s mental health, acting both as a cause and a consequence of distress. Men are more likely than women to drink at high‑risk levels, use illicit drugs and end up in treatment services for substance use, yet many do not recognise their behaviour as a health issue until relationships, work and finances have already broken down. Alcohol and drugs often become a way to numb anxiety, depression, trauma or shame that men feel unable to voice.

In clinical settings, it is common to see “dual diagnosis”, where someone is living with both a mental health condition and a substance‑use disorder. Treating one without the other rarely works; if depression is left unaddressed, relapse into drinking or drug use is likely, and if addiction is ignored, therapy for anxiety or low mood may not stick. For communities in Rochdale and beyond, that means any serious men’s mental health work has to be addiction‑aware from the start.

Where UK campaigns are shifting

Recent national strategies on men’s health and suicide prevention mark an important shift away from assuming that “one size fits all” in mental health. There is greater emphasis on meeting men where they are, for example by embedding messages in sport, workplaces and online spaces that young men actually use. These efforts aim to normalise men saying, “I’m not okay”, and to make help visible before crisis rather than after a police call‑out or hospital admission.

However, while these strategies acknowledge inequalities between different groups of men, they still tend to speak in broad, generic terms. The specific realities of British South Asian men – shaped by migration, racism, intergenerational expectations and local community dynamics – are often mentioned only briefly, if at all. That is the gap local, culturally rooted organisations like The Salik Project can step into.

South Asian men: double stigma, double silence

For many South Asian families, the stigma around both mental illness and addiction creates a double layer of silence. Struggling with depression, panic or psychosis can already feel like a “family shame”; adding alcohol or drug use on top can make it almost unspeakable. Men may be told to pray more, work harder or “think positive”, while the underlying illness and addiction go untreated.

Younger South Asian men, including those born and raised in places like Rochdale, often stand between two worlds. On one side, they have grown up with British conversations about mental health, therapy and “talking about feelings”; on the other, they may worry that opening up will be seen at home as weakness, dishonour or betrayal. This tension can drive issues underground: heavy weekend drinking, nitrous oxide use, cannabis, prescription drugs or gambling may be minimised as “blowing off steam”, even when they are masking deep distress.

What this means for The Salik Project in Rochdale

For The Salik Project, a two‑pronged approach that treats mental health and addiction together is crucial. Men in the local South Asian community need to see that it is possible to say, “I am struggling in my mind” and “I am struggling with substances” without losing dignity or respect. That means using familiar languages, relatable faces and storylines that reflect South Asian family life – the son who hides his anxiety behind jokes, the father whose drinking explodes into anger, the young man torn between peer pressure and faith or family values.

Practical steps could include men‑only discussion spaces, culturally informed family support for relatives living with someone’s addiction, and clear referral pathways into NHS and third‑sector services that understand both culture and trauma. The Salik Project is well placed to act as a bridge: translating national priorities into local, trusted conversations, and showing South Asian men in Rochdale that seeking help for mental health and addiction is not a betrayal of culture, but a way of protecting themselves, their families and their future.

A New Chapter of Hope

Yet there are strong reasons for optimism. Across the UK, men’s mental health and addiction are no longer fringe topics: they are at the centre of national strategies, school‑based support and community funding, creating new openings for honest conversations and earlier help. South Asian voices – from grassroots projects to lived‑experience advocates – are increasingly shaping how services talk about culture, faith, masculinity and recovery, proving that change is not only possible but already underway.

In Rochdale, The Salik Project can turn that momentum into something tangible: safe rooms where men can speak without judgement, campaigns that show South Asian fathers and sons choosing treatment over silence, and practical pathways into support that does not ask anyone to choose between culture and care. Every time a man decides to check in with a friend, attend a group, or walk into a GP and say, “I need help”, the old stigma loses a little more power. The journey ahead is hard, but it is also hopeful – and organisations like The Salik Project are exactly where a new story for South Asian men’s mental health and recovery can begin.