Dom Harvey tearfully pleads with listeners to look after mental health after losing friend to suicide

Radio host Dom Harvey has made a tearful plea to listeners to reach out for help if they're struggling with mental health, after losing one of his good friends to suicide.

The Edge Breakfast host broke down on air on Monday as he revealed he discovered last week a friend "took his own life". 

Co-host Megan Annear took over, saying that it is "our Kiwi men who are struggling the most".

"It seems because we have this idea that we need to 'harden up' and 'toughen up' and 'she'll be right', and it's not the case," Annear said.

"We don't have the answers obviously and there's not the same solution for one person, but you've got to do your best and we've got to keep looking after our men and asking if they need help."

A 2017 study out of Sydney showed that the rates of suicide from young Kiwi men are persistently high, almost double that of Australia.

Harvey addressed listeners directly, telling them to reach out if they need it.

"If you're in a dark spot and you're thinking that you'll be doing the world a favour, or that you'll be a burden on people, trust me you're not," he said.

"The hole you'll leave behind is going to be a massive one, more than you can imagine.

"If you think that your life is not worth living, try and think about the impact that your loss will have on other people around you because it will be massive."

If you feel you need help dealing with depression or a difficult time in your life, call Lifeline on 0800 543 354 or the Suicide Crisis Helpline on 0508 828 865(0508 TAUTOKO). Both are available 24/7.

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