– I want to say to all men who haven’t had the courage to take the plunge. You are not showing weakness by making contact. You show strength, says Tom Rune Thorvaldsen (57). Almost two years ago, his life was turned upside down. His son Tommy was only 26 when he died of heart failure in February 2021. – Then his life was turned upside down in an instant. It turned black, and the start of a long journey, says Tom Rune. – I won’t get my son back, so I have to learn to live my life from that. But it is not easy. Men like Tom Rune are much less likely to seek mental health care when they need it. – I am from an age group that is used to men not laughing, but then we do, says the 57-year-old. But at a new low-threshold service in Kristiansand, they find that more men are coming to get help. “Drop-in Living Management” is a municipal free offer where you don’t have to do anything other than show up. Just like the drop-in offer you have at the hairdresser. Sit down on the sofa and wait for a free hour. Offer from 25 years and upwards Drop-in Living coping is a low-threshold offer for anyone who has challenges coping with everyday life. Small and large challenges You can talk about mental health, stress, loneliness, grief, coping with life and life crises. No referral is needed. Meeting two interlocutors You show up or call during opening hours. Here, the interlocutors assist in finding the best possible measures for the person arriving. – Almost half of those who use the offer here are men, says Svein Emil Olstad, Tom Rune’s conversation partner today. Over the past two years, Olstad and the rest of the drop-in team in Kristiansand municipality have received close to 3,000 inquiries each year. They have conducted conversations both physically and over the phone. See at the bottom of the article for several low-threshold services offered around the country Skjemavelde Traditionally, you have to write an application to the municipality before you are considered for mental health care. Several forms, a referral from a GP and long waiting times stop many from seeking help. The idea of the low-threshold offer is that you should be able to get help when you yourself need it. Without a single form, or for others to assess you as “sick enough”. – We see that men seek out this offer precisely because it is much more accessible, says department manager for the offer, Monica Caroline Fronth. She says that several municipalities have made contact to learn more about the scheme. There is room for both smiles and seriousness when Tom Rune Thorvaldsen sits in conversation with Monica Caroline Fronth and Svein Emil Olstad. Photo: Mairi Macdonald For Tom Rune, the threshold for seeking out a so-called low-threshold offer was already high. – At the start I was too weak to get there. But when I eventually sought out the offer, it suited me well. Such offers cannot have a low enough threshold. He liked that he could show up when he needed someone to talk to. – Sorrow does not follow the clock. When your mental health fails, you have no idea what will meet you in the morning. Walks in the forest where he only needs to concentrate on walking have helped Tom Rune in his grief. Photo: Mairi Macdonald Happy professionals Figures from the Public Health Report in 2021 show that 15 per cent of all men were in contact with the primary health care service for mental symptoms and ailments in 2020. The corresponding figure for women was 22 per cent. The results from Kristiansand please the professionals. – This is a higher figure than one might expect when you look at how many men use the health services in general. These figures sound very positive, says researcher and psychiatrist Martin Steen Tesli at the Institute of Public Health. Martin Steen Tesli believes that low-threshold services such as the drop-in service in Kristiansand can help get more men to make contact when they have challenges with mental health. Photo: Eigil Korsager / Vigmostad & Bjørke Such low-threshold services also relieve a pressured GP service. – With other services, it often takes many hours to map how much help they really need, but here the municipality does much of the mapping for us, says GP Ida Berg Storaker at Gimle medical centre. GP Ida Berg Storaker believes that such low-threshold services prevent a lot. Photo: Mairi Macdonald / news news has spoken to several professionals who hope that in the future there may be more similar low-threshold offers elsewhere in the country. Tom Rune’s interlocutor, Svein Emil, found it very rewarding to work in a place where they meet a target group that is difficult to reach. – It’s really great, because traditionally we know that men have a higher threshold for seeking help when they are having a difficult time mentally. When they first arrive, they very often have strong stories, and it is a matter of life and death sometimes. Svein Emil Olstad meets more and more men on the drop-in offer. Many of them are middle-aged men. Photo: Mairi Macdonald / news Got a tattoo in honor of his son The memories and grief over Tommy’s death have become easier to bear because he dared to seek help. – I’m not a typical man who gets tattoos, but I just had to get this one, says Tom Rune. He rolls up his shirt sleeve and shows off a tattoo of a heart that his son Tommy drew for his father when he was in the 6th grade. – Now he is with me all the time. – I took the name that is tattooed from a note he wrote to me on what was our last cabin trip together, says Tom Rune. Photo: Mairi Macdonald / news Low-threshold services for coping with life, mental health and substance abuse If you need someone to talk to, you can use some of these low-threshold services: Several municipalities offer similar services to the drop-in service in Kristiansand. Contact your municipality to find out what services are offered. Rapid mental health care is a municipal low-threshold treatment offer throughout the country. Most student associations have free low-threshold offers for their students. Contact your student association. Kirkens SOS: Call 22 40 00 40, or write to soschat.no or meldinger.kirkens-sos.no. The Red Cross’s service Cross on the neck is for you under 18 years of age. Telephone: 800 333 21. Write or chat on the website korspaahalsen.rodekors.no. Mental Health Helpline: Call 116 123 or write to sidetmedord.no. Mental Health Youth. Aimed at young adults aged 18-36. Online chat service Monday to Friday from 18.00-21.00: www.mhu.no The emergency telephone for children and young people. A free phone for children and young people who are exposed to violence, abuse and neglect. Telephone 116 111. Acute risk of suicide? Call 113 when it is urgent and your life is at stake. Call the emergency room on tel. 116117 for immediate assistance. You can also talk to your GP.
ttn-69
Drop in offers for mental health help more men than usual in the support system – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
