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- Title
Critical Issues in Men's Mental Health.
- Authors
Bilsker, Dan; Fogarty, Andrea S.; Wakefield, Matthew A.
- Abstract
This narrative review highlights key issues in men's mental health and identifies approaches to research, policy and practice that respond to men's styles of coping. Issues discussed are: 1) the high incidence of male suicide (80% of suicide deaths in Canada, with a peak in the mid-50 s age group) accompanied by low public awareness; 2) the perplexing nature of male depression, manifesting in forms that are poorly recognised by current diagnostic approaches and thus poorly treated; 3) the risky use of alcohol among men, again common and taking a huge toll on mental and physical health; 4) the characteristic ways in which men manage psychological suffering, the coping strengths to be recognised, and the gaps to be addressed; 5) the underutilization of mental health services by men, and the implication for clinical outcomes; and 6) male-specific approaches to service provision designed to improve men's accessing of care, with an emphasis on Canadian programs. The main conclusion is that a high proportion of men in Western society have acquired psychological coping strategies that are often dysfunctional. There is a need for men to learn more adaptive coping approaches long before they reach a crisis point. Recommendations are made to address men's mental health through: healthcare policy that facilitates access; research on tailoring interventions to men; population-level initiatives to improve the capacity of men to cope with psychological distress; and clinical practice that is sensitive to the expression of mental health problems in men and that responds in a relevant manner.
- Subjects
CANADA; MEN'S mental health; PSYCHOLOGICAL adaptation; SUICIDE; DEPRESSION in men; MEN -- Alcohol use; PUBLIC health; HEALTH policy; MENTAL health services
- Publication
Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 2018, Vol 63, Issue 9, p590
- ISSN
0706-7437
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1177/0706743718766052