A LOCAL councillor has told how he became heavily involved in men’s mental health – after suffering a crisis himself.

Michael Cullen seconded the motion which saw the first Male Mental Health working group set up by Glasgow City Council last week.

The member for Scotstoun/Garscadden wants more men to follow his lead by seeking help if they feel they need it.

The working group was attended by five other councillors, as well as various mental health charities, including Dumbarton-based Brothers in Arms – the very first men’s mental health charity in Scotland.

Michael, who has previously publicly shared his battles with mental health and depression, told the Post that the decision had been taken to form the cross-party group to analyse support services available through a “male lens” to better understand men, and how they are often afraid to speak out about mental health issues.

Michael said: “The reason I seconded the motion for the working group is that I have been there myself, and have had issues in the past.

“There is still a real stigma surrounding men’s health, but we want to listen to people to see how we can make a positive difference to their lives.

“Everyone is different, and an approach that suits one person, may not work for others, there is no one-fits-all answer when it comes to mental health.

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“We want to let people know help is available, and we want them to be able to access it whenever they need it – not just during working hours.”

Michael heaped praise on Brothers in Arms, saying: “They have seen a gap in the market for those who can’t access traditional services for reasons including living rurally, or working shifts.

“And they have produced a mobile app which means people can be connected to a trained counsellor they can speak to at any time of day.

“It is about managing mental health and wellbeing.”

At November’s full council meeting, members agreed to set up a short-term cross-party working group.

The group are aiming to develop a plan that will help men and will present it at the budget. It is hoped their work will be able to continue after full council.

Euan Blockley, Glasgow Linn councillor, added: “The meeting was brilliant and very constructive. It was possibly the best committee meeting I have ever attended.

“This is what I got into politics for. Regardless of political point of view, we all agreed that more needs to be done in this city.”