The Hidden Crisis: Why Men are Missing Out on Mental Health Care

This blog post mentions suicide, which some people may find triggering. If you are experiencing challenges related to mental health, help is available at anytime using resources here: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/behaviours/help-for-suicidal-thoughts/.

This article focuses on men’s mental health. We acknowledge that transgender and non-binary people also experience an elevated rate of suicide. Our past articles on how our healthcare system can better record statistics for transgender and non-binary people can be found here: https://edgehealthinsights.ca/news-insights/bridge-the-lgbtq-data-gap/.

Suicide Disproportionately Affects Men Around the World

The data in the UK is stark: suicide is the leading cause of death for men under 50, a statistic that is reflected across other OECD countries. In the UK, more than 4,000 men die from suicide every year, roughly three times the rate in women.

While experiencing risk factors related to suicide doesn’t mean the person will attempt suicide, challenges related to mental health are often a significant contributing factor. As we are in November, men’s health awareness month, this article looks at the opportunities for developing mental health care to better engage with men.

Gap in Referrals: Men are Under-Utilising Talking Therapies

Talking therapies is an umbrella term for treatments that involve talking to a trained professional, which include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), psychoanalytic therapies, as well as many other forms of therapy. Research shows that talking therapies have the potential to significantly improve mental health conditions. In the NHS, men are notably less likely to be referred, including via self-referral, to these services. The latest annual data from NHS Talking Therapies highlights this immense disparity: twice as many women are referred to NHS talking therapies compared to men.

This gender difference in referral rates is especially accentuated in certain ethnic groups. For instance, Black men take up 58% fewer referrals compared to Black women, suggesting intersectional barriers to access for certain minority groups that need our attention.

Gender Gap in Pharmaceutical Treatments

Medications are often prescribed in conjunction with talking therapies to treat mental illnesses. This pattern of under-utilisation of treatment is also reflected in prescription data across Europe and the US, where research has shown men are less likely to be prescribed antidepressants, despite self-reported questionnaires indicating a similar rate of depression to women.

Similarly, in the UK, females were twice as likely to be prescribed medication for anxiety symptoms. Taken together, we may infer that men may be less likely to seek support, leading to a consequent lower rate of diagnosis and formal interventions.

Filling the Gap: Actionable Healthcare Improvements

While societal norms can shape how men cope with mental health issues, there are a few changes the healthcare system can implement to help engage with people in the highest-risk group.

Improving awareness of advice and treatment outcomes

In Bupa’s latest health survey, 30% male respondents say they ‘don’t know where to go for advice on their mental health issues.’ Awareness around treatment options for mental health issues is critical, and will require healthcare bodies, such as primary care networks, collaborating with local authorities and third-sector organisations, to target the population at highest risk.

Greater availability of granular data

While the NHS Talking Therapies annual dataset contains some breakdown by gender, the categories are not granular enough for deeper analysis. Seeing the gender breakdown by more granular age categories, and by other factors such as deprivation, can further help us learn about the potential barriers men face, allowing campaigns to be more accurately targeted toward the audience most in need.

Further training for primary care staff

Improved training should be given to healthcare staff, in particular to those who directly interact with people who have physical health conditions linked to elevated suicide risk, such as patients in chronic pain or people who present symptoms related to substance abuse. Appropriate training should be given to empower staff to talk about mental health issues sensitively and effectively refer patients to services or encourage self-referral.

Sources

https://www.bupa.co.uk/~/media/Files/MMS/MMS-hosting/bins-18325.pdf

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-talking-therapies-for-anxiety-and-depression-annual-reports/2024-25

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10621660/#s006

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00702-021-02349-5#Sec2

https://bjgp.org/content/72/720/e511

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5451647

https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/100572/html