大象传媒

In September 2021, Bedford barber Fabio Moliterno took his own life after years of struggling with his mental health. In this deeply personal and powerful story, Fabio鈥檚 family and some of the staff from his barbershop have embarked on a campaign to raise mental health awareness. We follow them as they undertake suicide intervention training to help tackle the issue of male suicide.

According to the Office for National Statistics, 75 per cent of people who take their own lives in the UK are men, a consistent trend going back at least to the mid 1990s. The Moliterno family鈥檚 training is organised by a gym charity that is working to get mental health awareness into male-dominated spaces such as sports clubs and barbershops. The project is close to gym owner Dorian鈥檚 heart, as he was friends with Fabio.

For Fabio鈥檚 loved ones, the training is a difficult and emotional journey. His older brother Franko, a DJ and music producer, has found solace channelling his grief into a song for Fabio. The track, featuring lyrics by some of Fabio鈥檚 friends, promotes mental health awareness and aims to spread a message to men that it鈥檚 OK to talk.