Suicide chef's sister blasts 'brutal' mental health system

Kevin Boyle, who featured in the 2002 Channel 4 series Jamie's Kitchen, took his life last month after suffering from depression for 10 years.

Naomi Anderson, 30, said: "The support for people suffering from mental health problems just isn't there.

"Kevin had suicidal thoughts in 2010 and confided to friends and family, which resulted in him being sectioned, and his treatment was brutal. He was pinned down, sedated, with no compassion for his condition. It was a disgusting way to treat anybody.

"And the level of understanding is limited, especially for men. A phrase that my mum has coined is, 'big boys can cry, and it's okay to cry' but society doesn't say that's okay. I'm staggered by the statistics. But it takes a tragedy for some good to come."

Suicide has surpassed road traffic accidents in recent years as the biggest cause of death among young men. In any given year, one in 5,700 men commits suicide - a rate three to four times higher than for women. The rate is highest among men under 35 .

Mr Boyle, 26, was found dead last month in a wooded garden in Coulsdon, two miles from his family home in Purley. Mrs Anderson, an accounts manager who lives in Manchester, attended her brother's funeral on Saturday. She said he had made several previous attempts to kill himself, but she was still shocked and "totally devastated" that he had eventually done so.

Head chef Dave Ahern, 36, who works at Ben's Canteen in Clapham, was so moved by Mr Boyle's death that he has pledged to fight the stigma of depression in the "macho" restaurant world.
He has arranged a dinner on April 30 when 50 chefs - including former MasterChef winner Mat Follas and Michelin-starred Russell Brown - will cook for 200 people to raise £70,000 for suicide prevention charity Calm.

Mr Ahern said: "We want to dispel the myth that you're weak if you ask for help."