Men’s Mental Health is Women’s Mental Health

Most women have men in their lives in some capacity: partners, brothers, fathers, sons, other relatives, co-workers, employees, employers and those in our everyday lives of travel, work, social, and entertainment .

What is going on with men, affects women, in oh so many ways.  I can’t begin to address it all here, but I’m thinking you would agree.

A few select areas to ponder, but let’s focus on men’s mental health.  According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the lifetime prevalence of major depressive disorder is 21% in women and 13% in men.  However, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, just 40% of men with a reported mental illness received mental health care services in the past year, compared with 52% of women.  Worse yet, men in the United States die by suicide at a rate four times higher than women.  And yet, men are diagnosed with depression and mood disorders at far lower rates.

The reasons why are complex, but we can do better, and consumers and patients should ask more of their providers to create a safe place, for them to ask respectful questions and offer approaches/solutions that are resonant with the patient.  Exploring depression, anxiety, burnout, substance abuse, and other common mental health conditions is part of a thorough history for men, despite their potential discomfort with the curiosity of a non-judgmental clinician.   It could start with asking for a  GAD-7 anxiety scale questionnaire and PHQ-9 questionnaire with your intake forms.  That provides the launching pad for further discussion.

In the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated what some call a crisis of men’s mental health.   Studies found that during the pandemic, U.S. men reported slightly lower rates of anxiety than women, but on the other hand had higher rates of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation.  Job uncertainty, loneliness from social distancing, financial stresses, relationship challenges, and other issues contributed to men having increased rates of sleep disorders, alcohol and substance abuse, and PTSD symptoms.    At one point in 2020, the rates of men seeking mental health care services in the United States increased more than five-fold over the prior year. This was greater than the rates of women seeking mental health care services.

For men to seek mental health care is a challenge in our modern western culture.  Let’s ask of health care providers to make it easier to discuss mental health, find a provider that can be empathetic and provide  safe and effective treatment options.

Let’s take better care of the men in our lives.