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Young men need access to services to help them defuse anger before it reaches boiling point, warns mental health charity CEO.

Anger management classes could help stem violence among young men

Call for services to better tackle the ‘changing culture of violence’ in Irish society.

A YOUTH MENTAL health expert has said services are needed to help young men to better articulate their frustrations to defuse their anger before it tips over into violence.

Joseph Duffy CEO of Jigsaw, which provides mental health services for teenagers and young adults, said 44% of the young people who present to his colleagues are male.

“One of the things we see in terms of the difference between some of the young men and women who present is that the young women are often more articulate in being able to say they feel anxious,” he explained.

“The men who come in talk about physical issues and about feeling angry and that’s an easier and probably more masculine thing to talk about first.”

The issue of ‘anger management’ among Ireland’s young men was raised again last month, after the violent murder of 17-year-old Reece Cullen who was stabbed to death in Jobstown in Dublin.

On RTÉ’s Morning Ireland at the time, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin spoke of what he described as “a changing culture of violence going on in the city”.

“We have a situation which knives are becoming the preferred weapon in some conflicts and they’re so easy to obtain. You can go to any large store, you can find them in any kitchen,” he said.

“In the past, if a scuffle broke out, people came away with a bleeding nose, now people get killed and maimed.”

Duffy said part of Jigsaw’s work is about helping young men to be able to articulate their anger, frustration or anxiety.

If they were to end up in a physical altercation, if you track that back – was that the end point or did their temper got the better of them?

His organisation is already doing work with the GAA, for example, to raise awareness of mental health services, he said. The Offaly county team even has the slogan ‘Jigsaw’s got your back’ on their jerseys.

“That legitimises this youth mental health service, it puts it literally on the backs of the GAA Offaly team. A lot of this is about the message they get from the people who are championing things in their communities that they value. So we talk to the young people themselves but also the coaches, trainers and managers about things to look out for,” he said.

In 2012 Jigsaw did a survey of 14,000 young people in Ireland about their mental health and Duffy said they hope to do a follow-up survey this year – with part of that looking at how they can best give young men these messages.

Read: The number of people self-harming in Ireland is continuing to rise>

Read: Depression, stress and emigration: Why medical students need to talk about mental health>

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    Mute Paddy Reid
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    Feb 16th 2018, 1:29 PM

    That’s so sad. He must have been so confused. RIP.

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    Mute Dizzy
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    Feb 16th 2018, 1:57 PM

    Gosh I’m so sorry for that man and his relatives and friends.

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Feb 16th 2018, 2:00 PM

    Heart wrenching. I hope he didn’t suffer. RIP.

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    Mute Daniel Carson
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    Feb 18th 2018, 5:26 PM

    @Deborah Behan: oh god what a fairy you are

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    Mute Daniel Carson
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    Feb 18th 2018, 5:27 PM

    @Daniel Carson: that comment was not meant for you. I apologize

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    Mute Henry Matthews
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    Feb 16th 2018, 4:34 PM

    Could you not have wrote Mr Burke.?…why can’t journalists have basic respect….

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    Mute Charles Alexander
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    Feb 16th 2018, 4:59 PM

    @Henry Matthews:
    I agree. Quite often see victims referred to by their surname on online news forums.
    It lacks compassion although I would say it is more through laziness and poor editing.

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    Mute Henry Matthews
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    Feb 16th 2018, 5:17 PM

    @Charles Alexander: i contacted the journal about this before….I was told they follow best European journalistic standards..

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    Mute Brendan Hughes
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    Feb 16th 2018, 6:45 PM

    @Henry Matthews: It’s a generational thing. More and more the younger the person the less respect is given. Bar a few whose parents raised them right.

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    Mute Smiley
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    Feb 16th 2018, 9:24 PM

    @Henry Matthews: Bullocks to “best standards”. Are the journalists sheep?

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    Mute Bill O'Brien
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    Feb 16th 2018, 2:19 PM

    RIP

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    Mute Gordon Fitzpatrick
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    Feb 16th 2018, 5:44 PM

    “Best European journalistic standards”
    Well then we need to go back to best Irish journalistic standards. Again more
    Bull hsit from the journal and its ahem, “journalists”.

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    Mute Owen Flynn
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    Feb 16th 2018, 5:43 PM

    So sad. R.i.p. Mr Burke.

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    Mute Leo Bissett
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    Feb 16th 2018, 8:47 PM

    Deepest condolences to the family of Mr Burke. May he rest in peace.

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    Mute miked
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    Feb 16th 2018, 9:22 PM

    The only consolation is that his body was found rip Mr Burke

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    Mute Ray Farrell
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    Feb 17th 2018, 12:56 AM

    Tragic, the poor man and his family , RIP.

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    Mute Grasshopper
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    Feb 18th 2018, 9:34 AM

    Reading some of the comments i think people are rambling on with nothing to do with this article.
    R.I.P

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    Mute JJ
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    Feb 17th 2018, 12:25 AM

    So a body washed up in Wales in November and the pigs didn’t think to share this info with each other and try and establish a link. FFS Sherlock Holmes me bollix.

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