PEOPLE struggling with their mental wellbeing should not wait until they feel suicidal before calling the Samaritans for help, one of the charity's Scotland-based volunteers has said.
David Matthews, a volunteer listener for 13 years, said there was a "misconception" that people had to be in crisis to use the free helpline.
He said: "There's a misconception that people have to be suicidal to phone the Samaritans. Our aim is to reduce the incidence of suicide, but what we really want is to pop those bubbles before it gets to that point.
"There will be people at home now worried about nuclear warfare and whether that's realistic or not, you can call the Samaritans.
"If you have a bad day at work, you can call the Samaritans. If you're upset because your dog's died, you can call the Samaritans.
"The thing is to pop these small bubbles early on, before they build up into something bigger. We're there to help you pop that."
READ MORE: Scottish Highlands 'Stage and Mountains' image masks suicide problem
Mr Matthews, 60, was speaking out as new research by the charity shows that only 43 per cent of men living in remote and rural areas in the UK feel able to ask for help, compared to 51% in urban areas.
Men have consistently accounted for 70% of suicides annually in Scotland since the mid-1980s and the Scottish Government is now supporting the Samaritans' 'Real People, Real Stories' campaign in the West Highlands and Skye, which sits within a region with the second highest suicide rate in Scotland.
The campaign aims to reach men in rural communities who are struggling to cope and make them aware of other people's experiences.
Mr Matthews, who runs a holiday let in Knoydart Peninsula, near Mallaig, experienced his own crisis in his late 30s following a relationship breakdown.
He said: "People at work would probably have said they couldn't tell any difference because I'd put on a brave face. But at evenings and weekends I just locked myself away.
"You start drinking a bit, then a bit more, and after a few months, luckily, I thought 'this isn't healthy'."
READ MORE: Highlands and Ayrshire to pilot Scotland's first suicide bereavement services
Mr Matthews credits a chance conversation with his sister - who he describes as his "personal Samaritan" - for turning the tide, and wants other men to know that they can feel better by speaking to someone anonymously.
He said: "It's almost like a release. Sometimes men will say 'isn't it a sign of weakness?' and I've said to them 'but nobody knows you've called'. That's the uniqueness about the Samaritans."
He added that his own perspective from living in Knoydart - which he "loves"- is that remote and rural communities tend to have a "more traditional" view of men.
"Traditionally, the male role was this strong role and within these remote crofting communities there's still that patriarchal society in a way," said Mr Matthews.
"It's not to say it's 100% like that, but there's still this traditional idea of the role men play and the stiff upper lip - they've got to be seen to be the provider and 'we can't let things affect us'.
"Well, unfortunately, in real life things do affect us."
Rachel Cackett, executive director of Samaritans Scotland, said that longer waiting times for mental healthcare and the fear of being stigmatised in smaller close-knit communities may be contributing to higher suicide rates in remote and rural areas.
READ MORE: Making sense of Scotland's alcohol deaths and suicides
She said giving men a platform to share stories of overcoming struggles should give others hope.
She said: "I hope that will have a really positive effect.
"They may feel alone, but they're not on their own in terms of struggling with many things. There are others out there who've made that reach for help and it's made a positive difference."
Jim McLaren, a Perthshire-based farmer and chair of NFU Mutual - which is also backing the campaign - said having a "safe, non-judgmental space" to talk "could be a person’s first step on their journey to looking after their recovery.”
The Samaritans can be reached free 24/7 on 116 123 or online at samaritans.org.
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