Recession threatening men's mental health
The current recession is putting men's mental health at risk, new research has claimed
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Monday, 11, May 2009 08:11
The current recession is putting men's mental health at risk, new research has claimed.
A report published by the mental health charity Mind today found that almost 40 per cent of men are currently worried or feeling 'low'.
Middle-aged men were also found to be seven times more likely than women to be having suicidal thoughts.
"The recession is clearly having a detrimental impact on the nation's mental health but men in particular are struggling with the emotional impact," Mind's chief executive Paul Farmer said.
"Being a breadwinner is something that is still crucial to the male psyche so if a man loses his job he loses a large part of his identity putting his mental wellbeing in jeopardy."
Today's study found men are half as likely as women to talk to friends about their problems, and only 23 per cent said they would go see their GP if they felt low for over a fortnight.
The research is part of the charity's 'Get it off your chest' campaign, which aims to get men to recognise the importance of talking about their problems and calls for a strategy for men's health, similar to ones already devoted to women.
A number of celebrities and high-profile figures have lent their support to the campaign, citing personal experience, including actor Stephen Fry, presenter Lord Melvyn Bragg and former spin-doctor Alistair Campbell.
Commenting on the campaign, Fry said: "For so long I tried to get on with my life and career, somehow coping with the huge highs and lows I experienced. If I had felt able to get it off my chest when I was younger I could have got more of the support I needed."
The sentiments were echoed by Campbell, who said: "Many people, especially men, find it very hard to be open about mental fragility.
"They see it as a sign of weakness, and do not like to ask for help. Or they cover it with drink or drugs or behaviour generally likely to end in tears."
Around 2.7 million men in England currently have a mental health problem like depression, anxiety or stress and worryingly 75 per cent of all suicides are by men.
Experts have called for an overhaul in the way that mental health services are provided, to encourage men to attend meetings.
"When men look for help, they can be put off by health premises that are geared more towards women," Mr Farmer said.
"GP surgeries offering women's magazines can feel like a hairdressers and make men feel uncomfortable. The NHS must become more 'male-friendly' offering treatments that appeal to men like exercise on prescription or computerised therapy and advertising their services in places men frequent."
Mind claims the recession is set to make existing problems worse, with one in seven men developing depression within six months of losing their jobs.