Australian charity believes their programme has limited suicide

Links have been forged between two mental health groups in Scotland and Australia in a bid to tackle male suicide.

Parents Beyond Breakup contacted Aberdeenshire-based Choose Life after it published research saying men accounted for about 80% of people taking their own life in the area.

Choose Life said failing relationships played a significant part in men’s problems.

Pete Nicholls, chief executive of Parents Beyond Breakup, said: "As soon as I saw the article, I wanted to speak to Choose Life.

"We've been hugely successful in limiting male suicide post-separation and wanted to make contact to discuss sharing of best practice.

"Male suicide is considered as a mental health issue but we are finding most male suicide is situational distress. I went through this myself.

"However, if you show them how to navigate through it then they do not commit suicide. If you sit down with peers, they stop being suicidal."

Choose Life Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire co-ordinator Iain Murray said the connection between the two groups was significant.

"During April we're gathering questions, thoughts and experiences through the Choose Life Prevent Suicide North East Scotland Facebook page and also we've set 10 locations in Aberdeenshire and the city where people can physically drop off their comments.

"What we've discovered having looked at some data is that males in particular seem to really struggle with relationship break-ups, and in relation to suicides in the north east, that's one of the most prominent factors we've noticed."