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TBS's Adam Lazzara on breaking the stigma surrounding mental health

Today, Nov 19, marks International Men's Day and Taking Back Sunday's Adam Lazzara is speaking out to break the stigma that surrounds men discussing their mental health.

Read more: Upcoming emo movie debuts new trailer and song written by TBS's John Nolan

According to the Campaign Against Living Miserably, suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45 with 75% of all UK suicides being male. Adam Lazzara spoke to NME arguing that the discussion of mental health should not be seen as a sign of weakness, but as a sign of strength. 

“It’s seen as a sign of weakness or questioning your male bravado if you bring it up,” Lazzara tells NME. “It’s something that a lot of people struggle with and have a hard time pulling themselves out of with depression. I think it’s important to talk to someone – whether it’s a friend or a spouse, a brother or sister, parent or just anyone you’ve got to just get that stuff out.”

“I’ve always said for a long time, for us or for me, I feel like we’re fortunate for some many years we’ve had an outlet on the stage and our records –  that’s when the majority of that stuff comes out. For me that’s been enough, but for some people it’s not; like Chester [Bennington] and Chris Cornell. I just think it’s OK to talk to someone, it doesn’t make you weak, if anything it makes you a lot stronger to talk about that stuff because it’s hard.”

Lazzara also added, “Our big goal was to always try to give back a little bit of what our favourite bands and artists had given us. That’s exactly what they’d given us. To think that we could do that same thing for someone else, that’s a huge thing.”

You can catch Taking Back Sunday at Slam Dunk Festival in 2018.

What are your thoughts on the stigma surrounding mental health? Let us know in the comments below.