It is worth taking the time to consider the shocking statistics surrounding men’s mental health, and what you can do to help as both employers and colleagues. In comparison to women, men are almost half as likely to report seeking professional help for their mental health concerns. Correspondingly, men consisted of approximately a third of the referrals to mental health services in the National Health System in England in 2019-2020. The lower rate of treatment use is particularly concerning considering that across the world men are almost twice as likely to die by suicide than women.
According to the Movember charity:
- Every minute a man loses their life to suicide
- One in eight men has a common mental health problem such as depression, anxiety, panic disorder or OCD
- 40% of men refuse to talk about their own mental health
- There is a prevalent attitude amongst men to ‘just deal with it’, a misguided belief that their problems are theirs to deal with and theirs alone
Masculinity as a barrier to mental health
Why do men avoid seeking help for mental health concerns? While a range of factors contribute, one of the most dominant factors is the concept of masculinity and how some definitions of masculinity conflict with seeking help for mental struggles. Seeking help often means having to rely on others, admit there is a problem, and express emotions, but these behaviours can conflict with societal messages about masculinity.
The conflict between masculinity and seeking treatment was highlighted in a study on men’s attitudes to mental health. When asked about seeking help, participants consistently stated that seeking help conflicted with cultural notions of what it means to be a man.
In light of these barriers, how can the mental health field provide treatment options that fit the needs of men? One option is online mental health treatment. In the same study on men’s attitudes to mental health, men expressed a strong willingness to use the internet to find mental health support.
Visit the Employee Assistance website and use the access code 'lifetime' to learn more about this campaign and how you can help men reach our for support with their mental health.
Lifetime Training has launched a Learner Helpline, which is a powerful tool that helps learners through the provision of telephone counselling, advice and referral on a wide variety of work and personal issues.
Our team of professionally qualified counsellors and advisers can offer support and practical advice on a variety of
personal, family and work-related problems. Alternatively learners can book an appointment online.
The 24/7 helpline: 0300 666 7247
www.lifetime-learner.online (the unique password is learnersaccess)
Or via Minicom: 01482 661 911(Minicom hours: Mon-Fri 8am–6pm)