The Men’s Health Forum men’s health week takes place this week and when one considers the mental health risks for men the statistics are alarming.Take, for example, the male suicide rate. The latest official figures for male suicide in the UK show 16.8 deaths per 100,000 of the population in 2014 (social researchers compare populations per 100,000 in order to offer a like for like comparison across countries of different demographic sizes). The rate for men is more alarming when you realise that the suicide rate for women was 5.2 deaths per 100,000 of the population.
The reasons for the disparity in rates of suicide between the sexes can be complex and multifaceted. However, I wonder how the psychotherapy profession can better target the specific mental health needs of men since two thirds of those seeking counselling in the UK are women (source NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapies). I feel it is a worthy question to ask what more can be done to better attract men. As an aside, I was always intrigued during my psychotherapy training why so many trainees excluded men in their recruitment of participants for their workshops (workshops were part of the route to qualification in the final year of the study programme). Time and time again one would see workshop facilitators advertise for participants, invariably seeking to hold yet another workshop on contacting the inner goddess, and excluding men from participating in their experiential workshops. It is worth speculating if this ingrained bias against the inclusion of men might be a reflection of a greater bias in the provision of support services in counselling and psychotherapy.
I am reminded of this when considering the critical issues affecting men and ask myself whether men really feel heard. Take, for example, depression, which in men can be difficult to spot since it can often be signalled by displays of angry behaviour in social situations. Can their anger be contained in therapy sessions or are men seen as a threat and better referred on to ‘anger specialists’ for their therapy?
Men are so often taught to believe that any problem must be solved by them, alone. In spite of the acute mental health needs of men, they are often reluctant to engage with the process of therapy. When they finally find themselves actually seeking therapy it is usually when things have reached crisis levels in their lives, when their jobs, relationships and homelife are at risk. They might also be coming as they are being pushed in the door by an insistent partner, often offering an ultimatum. Addressing the acute mental health needs of men must be a priority for us all.
Resources:
The Samaritans also offers a crisis listening service. Their telephone number is 116 123, which thankfully is now free, having previously been an 0845 number.
Men’s Health Forum offer a range of health promotion support materials for men.