Welcome to the Triarius Project


Over the last several decades, we have witnessed an exponential increase in mental health issues – especially chronic depression and all its associated physical pathologies, such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular illness and obesity. There is of course, also the social cost, such as relationship breakdowns, employment consequences and the ultimate outcome measure: suicide. One group in particular stands out in the statistics. This narrow demographic accounts for over 30% of total suicides. The highest of any. It should constitute a preventable health crisis priority, but it doesn’t, despite the massive effect it has on the fabric of our society.

 

These are 45-55-year-old, divorced men, in particular, fathers who have lost regular access to their children, and have been forced into significant debt, public shame and economic hardship.

 

Despite the Hollywood portrayal of divorced middle age men living the carefree and easy lifestyle; abandoning their children, driving sportscars and dating women half their age, the truth is that the vast majority of these men are devoted, hard-working family men, who through the circumstances of divorce, find their identity shattered and their whole world collapsing in on them. They are literally killing themselves in droves, and those that are not are the most rapidly expanding to group to be medicated for anxiety and depression.

 

And yet, these men are not viewed as vulnerable by a society that sees them as inherently privileged. Few resources are directed toward them and little money or attention is targeted at stemming the surge in mental health issues and proclivity for suicide in this group. The resources that exist are not tailored specifically for their needs. Consequently, they are also the group least likely to seek assistance. So the spiral of suicide keeps increasing.

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