By Brian Forbes, Ph.D., R.Psych.
Forbes Psychological Services
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) refers to men’s mental health as the “silent crisis”. While rates of mental illness are comparable between men and women, men are less likely to recognize, talk about, and seek treatment for their mental illness. Studies show that men underutilize mental health services, as women are almost three times more likely to seek professional help compared to men. It is not a stretch to see how those factors can lead to the fact that more than 75% of those who commit suicide are men.
Mental health problems are common. They affect 50% of people by the age of 40 and 20% of the population every year. Research has shown about 70% of distressed individuals do not seek help, a high percentage of which are men. This raises the question: “why?” Several factors play a role in preventing men from seeking help for mental health issues, including societal expectations, stigma, and discrimination. Men are raised to be stoic—to not talk about their feelings, or show vulnerability. As a result, they are less likely to seek help, suffer in silence, or turn to destructive coping strategies such as substance abuse.
As a result of the stigma, many men fear that mental health issues represent weakness and are concerned about how that could impact their career prospects. According to a 2019 Movember survey, 28% of Canadian men fear that their job could be at risk if they discussed their mental health at work and 33% thought that they could lose a promotion if they mentioned they had a mental health problem or difficulty coping with the job demands.
It is estimated that upwards of 20% of the Canadian workforce on any given day are experiencing symptoms of clinical depression. The reported women to men ratio is 2:1, but this disparity is being questioned. A study by the National Institute for Mental Health stated, “men described their own symptoms of depression without realizing they were depressed.” This included making no connection between mental health and physical symptoms such as chronic pain, headaches, and stomach problems. Dr. M. Myers, a Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, reported that in men particularly mental illness can be masked and a lot of somatic symptoms including migraines, back pain, and irritable bowel syndrome may be rooted in depression. Dr. Myers says, “too many men out there are suffering. . . They’re acting out the depression.” Such actions may take the form of irritability, low frustration tolerance, fatigue, verbal violence, or substance abuse.
Raising awareness about men’s mental health is a critical step in understanding the vulnerabilities to various disorders and what factors may indicate a concern, as is the case regarding depression and it’s presentation.
The lack of awareness and knowledge in regards to men’s mental health has fostered more research and promotional endeavours aimed at better understanding this issue. Such an endeavour is June’s Canadian Men’s Mental Health Month. The goal is to encourage Canadian men and their families to get active while raising funds supporting men’s mental health.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, please reach out. CPA Assist provides confidential help to Alberta and Saskatchewan Chartered Professional Accountants, candidates, and their immediate families. Call the free confidential support line at 1-855-596-4222 or by email at cpaforbes@telus.net.
