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Tackling the crisis in men’s mental health
There is a crisis in men’s mental health. Three out of four people who take their own lives are men1. Males have higher rates of alcohol and substance abuse than women2. And two in five men say they feel worried or low on a regular basis.3
Those who identify as transwomen or non-binary are also at higher risk of:4
depression
substance abuse
suicidal thoughts
Men are also less likely to ask for help when they are struggling with poor mental health. They only account for only 36% of referrals to NHS psychological therapies.5
One study in men with depression found that only 8.5% were receiving mental health support. However, two-thirds had thoughts about suicide or self harm in the previous two weeks.6
Gender stereotypes
Traditional views of masculinity often prevent men from seeking support. The same gender stereotypes are also associated with unhealthy coping mechanisms. This could include self-medicating with alcohol and drugs.7
Chair of a parliamentary inquiry into the mental health of men and boys Maria Miller said,
“Throughout this inquiry, we repeatedly heard how some stereotypes and beliefs about masculinity can contribute to poor mental health for men and boys and often act as a barrier to them seeking help for mental health issues.”8
Similarly, treatment guidelines drawn up by the American Psychological Association point out,
“Traditional masculinity ideology has been shown to limit males’ psychological development … and negatively influence mental health.”9
Vulnerable
Young men are particularly vulnerable. They are falling behind girls in the classroom. They’re also more likely to be NEETS:
Not in Education
Employment
Nor Training.10
At university there are multiple groups supporting and advocating for female students. In contrast, very few focus on men’s issues.10
By the time they are entering the workplace many may already be struggling.
Gender stereotypes can associate masculinity with strength. Stereotypes also discourage displays of emotion, denoting them as ‘feminine’ or ‘weak’. While there is less stigma around poor mental health, it still exists. And, particularly in male dominated industries.
High suicide rate
This has tragic consequences. The suicide rate for men working in the construction industry, driving and the ‘trades’ is far higher than the male average.11
The Office of National Statistics figures show that suicides in the construction industry are rising at an alarming rate. It’s worth noting that nearly 9 in 10 of these workers are male. Rates are now four times higher than the average in other sectors.12
However, Nick Fletcher, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Issues Affecting Men and Boys says,
“Men do talk if the environment is right, where there will not be real or imagined consequences.”11
Charities such as Movember and Andy’s Men’s Clubs are set to change that. They provide important spaces for men to meet and talk about their mental health.
Workplace culture
But Nick Fletcher adds,
“Ensuring the workplace culture is mentally healthy is crucial.”
The way to build this is through positive conversations and signposting the right resources.
He goes on to say,
“Internal communications should encourage men to talk to their peers or those with safeguarding roles. Information on posters, at meetings and on intranets is important, including messaging around confidentiality and the lack of consequences”.
Anonymous and confidential
Construction and civil engineering firm, BAM UK & Ireland, is showing how this can be achieved. They began by creating welcoming spaces - known as wellbeing rooms. They’re a place for safe conversations. And it amplified the support and resources the company was already providing.13
It didn’t take much to create the first wellbeing room. A portable cabin equipped with sofas, a table and a hot drinks station made it a cosy and informal sanctuary.
“Although the space wasn’t used as an office, it did have a desk which our safety adviser used when she was writing up safety reports, which enabled her to be available to anyone who wanted to talk.”
Records were kept anonymous and confidential. They also confirmed the facility was addressing a real need.
In the first three months, 70 of the 300 employees on site had used the wellbeing room. That’s almost a quarter of the workforce. They popped in for a chat and a total of 210 conversations took place.
A safe space
Ruth says,
“What we found in practice is that people would come and talk about something to do with safety, or to have a general chat. Then the conversation would then turn to… ‘while I’m here, can I just talk to you about such and such’.
“I have absolutely no doubt that if we hadn’t created the safe place and the opportunity for people to come forward and get help we would have had more accidents and incidents, and actually I would even go as far as to say that we would have had one or two suicides.”
Resources and guides
Manager’s guide: Supporting men’s health
Explore common health concerns experienced by men and how you as a business can support them.
Men’s health support
Browse our range of resources, here to support men's health. Find videos, podcasts and health information all in one place.
1 Office for National Statistics, 2021.
2 National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2020.
3 Mind (PDF, 2.9MB), 2020.
4 High Burden of Mental Health Problems, Substance Use, Violence, and Related Psychosocial Factors in Transgender, Non-Binary, and Gender Diverse Youth and Young Adults, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-019-01533-9
5 Mental Health Foundation, 2021.
6 Men’s Help-Seeking for Depression: Attitudinal and Structural Barriers in Symptomatic Men, 2020. DOI: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2150132720921686
7 Improving Mental Health Service Utilization Among Men: A Systematic Review and Synthesis of Behavior Change Techniques Within Interventions Targeting Help-Seeking, 2019. DOI: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1557988319857009
8 Women and Equalities Committee (PDF, 0.2MB), 2019.
9 American Psychological Association (PDF, 0.4MB), 2018.
10 The Association of Commonwealth Universities, 2020.
11 British Safety Council, 2023.
12 Lighthouse, 2022.
13 REBA, 2021.
