16/06/2020
This week is - I hope the following emphasises how important it is men start talking about their .
Mental illness is the single largest cause of ill health and disability in Northern Ireland (NI) and we have higher levels of mental ill health than any other region in the UK.
In the 2015-16 NI Health Survey, one-fifth (19%) of respondents scored highly (greater or equal to 4) on the GHQ12 (General Health Questionnaire), suggesting they may have a mental health problem. This is more likely to be the case for women (21%) compared with 16% of men.”
In NI, stigma is still a major deterrent to seeking help for mental illness. Research found that internalised stigma (holding stigmatised views about oneself), and treatment stigma (stigma associated with seeking or receiving treatment for mental illness), were the main factors in not seeking help.
It is already known that men are less likely to seek help for physical and psychological problems and have poorer health outcomes across nearly all major illness and injury.
It is thought that masculinity, male normative alexithymia and a fear of intimacy influence the likelihood that a man will seek help for emotional difficulties. Male normative alexithymia refers to the fact that traditional masculine role socialization has channeled many men into ways of being such that their masculine identity conflicts with many emotions they feel and what they feel they are “allowed” to express (i.e., they will be shamed and will feel as if they are "not real men" if they express feelings of vulnerability, dependency needs, weakness, etc.).
Men are more likely to deal with their emotional difficulties by externalising how they feel with maladaptive behaviour including aggressive or anti-social behaviour and alcohol/substance abuse. While females are more commonly reporting through medical questionnaires, the emotional and physiological impacts of anxiety and low mood:
- 73% of adults who go missing are men
- 87% of those sleeping rough are men
- 95% of the prison population are men, with 72% of male prisoners suffering 2 or more mental disorders
- Men are nearly three times more likely than women to become alcohol dependent
- Men are three times as likely to report frequent drug use than women
- Men have measurably lower access to the social support of friends, relatives and community
- Men report significantly lower life satisfaction than women
- Over three quarters of people who kill themselves are men
In 2018, the number of registered deaths from su***de in NI was 307... 228 of these were men.
Working with men regularly, I believe the stigma of asking for help, of experiencing emotions, of feeling confused or like we are not coping is lessening. However, there is clearly still work to do on this. Guys, please speak up, talk to those who care about you and seek help. Speak with your GP and consider therapy - it will help.
If you have questions about therapy, mental health or are worried about someone close to you, I try to respond to all emails and everything is treated in strictest confidence.
