Metahseu re Of The Man An Alternative View Of Mental Health In UK Men

An Alternative View Of Mental Health In UK Men

When we kicked off last year’s #Mendthegap campaign, to help redress the disparity between attitudes toward mental and physical health, we asked famous sufferers of depression and anxiety to share their stories. In the 18 months since, more men than ever have opened up about their emotional and psychological wellbeing. A number of high-profile sports figures have come forward to detail their own conflicts, while revelations from the royals brought the conversation to a wider audience still. In the meantime, a number of documentaries – including the BBC’S Mind Over Marathon – further praised the benefits of exercise on mental fitness. We are finally, it seems, making headway.

But there is still much work to be done. Today, men remain disproportionately at risk of suffering from poor mental wellbeing; they are less likely to speak up, less likely to be treated. Damningly, suicide continues to be the largest cause of death for UK men under 50, who are now 3.5 times more likely to take their own lives than women.

In the past year, political upheaval and economic uncertainties have arguably made maintaining one’s balance more difficult than ever. News that the government is to invest £1.3bn in mental health services is reassuring, and desperately vital; a recent report published by the Mental Health Alliance – a group of more than 75 organisations working in the UK mental health sector – argues that the government’s 1983 Mental Health Act is in need of urgent remodelling. Alarmingly, 49% of those consulted do not believe that people are treated with dignity under the act, highlighting the need for further and immediate institutional reform.

Here at MH, we think a health crisis of this scale necessitates an ambitious response. This is why we brought together charities Mind, Time to Change, Mental Health UK, Samaritans, BUPA and Movember with Harley Street psychologist Dr Mark Winwood* in a research project of unprecedented scale, designed to find out exactly how mental ill-health affects you on a daily basis.

We already know that 25% of us will deal with a mental health problem in our lifetime. We know that, at present, just 6% of the UK’S annual research spend goes on mental health. And we know that a quarter of men who take their own lives have been in contact with their GP in the week before doing so. What we don’t know is exactly why so many men fall through the cracks, or how these issues develop to such a drastic degree. In order to paint a broader, more enlightening picture of male mental health in the UK, we asked 15,000 of you the questions that have never been asked before. Here’s what you had to say.