Two men from Northern Ireland are behind a Facebook group set up to tackle the "heartbreaking" male suicide statistics in Northern Ireland.
Co Tyrone men Thomas Goulding and Justin McGurk, along with their friend Paddy, are admins of Boy's Talk - a group where men can post openly or anonymously about any struggles they are going through, and receive support and advice from other members.
The group started in February and already has over 360 members.
Read more: How the rising cost of living is affecting the most vulnerable
Although the stigma around speaking out about mental health issues has reduced, the group argue that many men still struggle to speak up and speak out, resulting in a high suicide rate
The latest suicide statistics for Northern Ireland show that 209 suicides were recorded in 2019, with 75% of these being men.
"I said enough is enough. Everyone knows someone who has been affected by suicide every town, county, village - it doesn't matter where it is, everyone knows someone who has died or been affected by it," Thomas told Belfast Live.
"The awareness has grown over the past ten years and people are starting to talk about it more, but unfortunately the suicide rates aren't reflecting that, the numbers are still high year after year. It's just heartbreaking."
Thomas said he set the group up to create a safe space for men to speak openly about their vulnerabilities.
He added: "Everyone's got a story to tell I suppose. I've had my fair share of mental health struggles and battled with addiction and different stuff over the years. But it's not really about me, I set up the group because I wanted to create a space for men to be able to come and speak openly and honestly about their vulnerabilities to try and help.
"There are a lot of brilliant phone services out there to help people, but at the end of the day you can't relate to the person on the other end of the phone, you don't know their experience and journey. But in Boy's Talk, you do. It's real men sharing their real struggles and experiences.
"They can post about struggles they have that others may have experience of. It's all about the members."
There are three main elements to the group. Firstly, members can post openly or anonymously about issues and receive advice and support from other members.
Secondly, they can get together in a video chat where a speaker will have a chat about their own journey. After this, members can have a relaxed chat about their own struggles.
Thirdly, the group run a mentorship programme where someone struggling can read the biography's of different mentors, to find one they can relate with.
Thomas said: "The group doesn't belong to any of us - it's the group of each member. We want people to feel like it's a place they belong and something they're a part of.
"Unfortunately there aren't many places for men to reach out to when they find themselves out in a dark place, and we're hoping to give lads an outlet where they receive a bit of support without judgement.
"We all have a story to tell, we've all struggled at different times in our lives, and the group is about ordinary lads, with ordinary lives and struggles coming together to help each other through the troubles life throws at you."
Adding that the response so far has been "very positive", Thomas said they're thinking about new elements including starting podcasts and 'walk and talk' sessions.
He continued: "You don't know how much it's doing but then you get all these private messages from men saying that the group has helped them so much. We're already seeing results and the positive impact the group is having on men's mental health.
"It's very hard to break down the barriers men build up around themselves and to talk to each other about them. We're trying to make a space for lads to come together and feel comfortable chatting about mental health with other lads."
You can find out more about the Boy's Talk group on Facebook by clicking here.
Read more: Cookstown pupils deliver ‘Kindness Postbox’ to nursing home residents
Read more: NI singer's music video aims to give hope to those struggling with mental health
To get the latest breaking news straight to your inbox, sign up to our free newsletter.
