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After Don Rowan attempted suicide in his mid-30s, he shut down and isolated himself from his family.

Outside the home, the oil and gas worker was “mister congeniality,” concealing the depression he’d been struggling with for years. But behind closed doors, he lost himself in alcohol and routine.

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Rowan, 55, only started talking openly about that challenging time in his life five years ago, after hearing a talk on mental health and suicide at an industry meeting. The Men at Riskprogram — created by the Suicide Prevention Resource Centre in Grande Prairie to educate and assist men dealing with mental health in the trades, industry and agriculture — “struck a cord” with him.

“I realized then that I didn’t have to deal with it myself anymore and I could talk about it and not be ashamed of being seen as a lesser person,” he said.

Rowan, a community relations adviser with Encana, one of the sponsors of the program, now gives the talk to oil and gas workers in northern Alberta about 15 times a year.