Men's Mental Health

In today's society, mental health is something that isn't talked about much, especially with men. This may be because of the stereotypical 'man' is someone who doesn't talk about their feelings as it might be considered 'feminine' or whether it is something that is just genetic.

Statistics source: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/statistics/mental-health-statistics-men-and-women

- In England, women are more likely than men to have a common mental health problem and are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with anxiety disorders.

- In 2013, 6,233 suicides were recorded in the UK for people aged 15 and older. Of these, 78% were male and 22% were female.

- 10% of mothers and 6% of fathers in the UK have mental health problems at any given time.
One in five (19.1%) women had CMD symptoms, compared with one in eight men (12.2%).



- Between 2003 and 2013, 18,220 people with mental health problems took their own life in the UK.

- Suicide is the most common cause of death for men aged 20-49 years in England and Wales.

- One person in fifteen had made a suicide attempt at some point in their life.

- Mental health problems are one of the main causes of the overall disease burden worldwide.

- Mental health and behavioural problems (e.g. depression, anxiety and drug use) are reported to be the primary drivers of disability worldwide, causing over 40 million years of disability in 20 to 29-year-olds.

- Major depression is thought to be the second leading cause of disability worldwide and a major contributor to the burden of suicide and ischemic heart disease.

- It is estimated that 1 in 6 people in the past week experienced a common mental health problem.

The most common mental health problems include addictions, anxiety, depression, eating disorders. One in four people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives. That’s a lot of people. Most of the time, people cope ok and find ways to switch off, chill out and relax. But when things start to take over and get on top of us, it can develop into something we need specialist help with. Everyone has bad days and some of the symptoms of mental health problems may not immediately seem obvious. Take a look at the list below, and if some of the things sound familiar and you’ve been experiencing them for a few weeks or more, you may need to do something:

SOURCE: https://www.thecalmzone.net/help/get-help/mental-health/

Problems getting to sleep, or waking up early in the morning and not being able to get back to sleep again.
Feeling really knackered even when you haven’t done much.
Aches and pains for no apparent reason or feeling run down.
Poor appetite.
Not feeling like going out.
Not being interested in the things you used to be.
Feeling anxious and irritable for no real reason, or having difficulty managing your anger and ‘flying off the handle’.
Repeatedly getting headaches or migraines.


Suicide is the single biggest killer of men aged under 45 in the UK, with 76% of all suicides in 2014 being men (ONS, NISRA, GRO 2014). It’s a shocking statistic,  but it doesn’t have to be that way. Few people go through life without, at some point, having a suicidal thought or feeling.  Whilst suicidal feelings are more common than we like to admit, it doesn’t mean that it’s the answer for you.  There are always other options. What makes people suicidal?  There’s never one reason, but usually a combination of things:

SOURCE: https://www.thecalmzone.net/help/get-help/suicide/

A major loss, trauma or setback in your life can make you feel life isn’t worth living, for example if you’ve lost a person or a relationship that meant everything to you, or you lose your job or encounter financial difficulties, all of which are problems that can be tackled and resolved.
When someone close to you has attempted or died by suicide.
You have been using drugs or drinking heavily.
You have experienced bullying or rejection, especially if it goes on for a long time, which can leave you feeling low and worthless.
You may be upset and angry for no reason at all, which can be very frightening. People become depressed not just because sad, traumatic or stressful things happen to them. The chemicals in the brain which control our mood can get messed up, become unbalanced and we can feel depressed.
A combination of any of these things.




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