The issue of mental health has been on the public agenda for some years now, and while many institutions and charities are actively investing in early intervention and suicide prevention programs, the numbers of men suffering poor mental health or taking their own lives remains stubbornly high.
Expert consensus is that emotional disclosure is an effective way for men to start the process of dealing with the majority of mental health challenges.
The message is consistently that men should ‘talk more’: that by being prepared to talk about difficult situations they are going through, they will actively start the journey towards mental wellness.
Despite the knowledge about what helps, the figures suggest that too many men are continuing to suffer in silence. Three out of four suicides in developed nations are by men (the most reliable estimate for all countries worldwide where quality data exists is around 60%, while it is as high as 80% in the US) and yet the proportion of men presenting with mental health challenges and engaging in follow-up talking therapies is typically lower than among women. Men are also are more likely to attend fewer therapy sessions and being male has consistently been found to be a predictor of premature dropout from traditional treatment in both a community and outpatient setting.
This report explores some of the underlying attitudes, beliefs and other social factors that may influence men talking openly about the tough stuff in life and proposes some ideas for how to evolve the conversation around men talking about their mental health. It explores male perceptions of masculinity, and if and how these perceptions link to men talking openly to others. In particular, it considers how perceptions vary by age and across different countries.