THE PROBLEM
The current mental health infrastructure for men is failing, resulting in rising substance abuse and addictive behaviours.What is wrong with the current mental healthcare system?
1.The modern mental healthcare system fails to account for men being adverse to help-seeking behavior
40% of men have never spoken to anyone about their mental health
Men are far less likely to access psychological therapies than women. Only 36% of referrals to IAPT (Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies) are men.
29% of those who haven't done so say they are "too embarrassed" to speak about it, while 20% say there is a "negative stigma" on the issue
This disparity in mental health care utilization between men and women cannot be explained by a lack of need.
Whilst working with some brilliant authors and researchers (including researchers at the now defunded 'Centre for men’s health’ in Leeds), we unveiled the key differences that men and women expect from their ideal mental healthcare service.
Self-Management
Many men find it hard to conceptualize or address a buildup of mental issues they may face. As men’s emotions are almost always inwardly directed, they more often than not believe that their problems are their burden to carry.
Studies showed a prevalence of views related to self-reliance and “men’s preference for self-management of their health”. One man was quoted to say “I think ‘tools’ is a great word, so using mental health tools. Like give me tools and then I can use those tools”
This understanding of a prevalence for self-management is at the heart of everything we do at brotherly
Anonymity
The second overarching theme was that participants recognized some misalignments between traditional masculine ideals and mental health well-being. It was here the conflict arose between “wanting to take preventative measures and being constrained by certain social contexts and gender relations”.
Men often refused to seek help due to the stigma surrounding help-seeking behavior, some deeming it weak.
We believe it is important to address the concerns of this demographic, rather than dismiss them as irrational, or toxic. These real fears, such as the fears of negative social repercussions when seeking out help, including being perceived as inadequate or unmanly. It seemed important to include an element of privacy or anonymity when designing our platform.
Teamwork
Study participants discussed the benefit of having mental health promotion anchored in social setting and described the major benefit as “doing things together for one another”.
One participant was noted to say “In getting help, I am helping others. Maybe men aren’t as good at getting help as they should be, but blokes really like giving help, offering help, being useful. So you train people to look after their mates rather than train them to look out for themselves, but in the process they learn how to look out for themselves”. In this sense , men can anchor positive mental well-being practices in traditionally masculine traits such as selflessness and helpfulness.
We believe that by providing men the space to help one another, inadvertently they will help themselves by talking through issues with others and, ultimately, realizing the roots of their own mental health problems.
2.Men are likely to utilize addictive substances and behaviors as coping mechanisms
Men are much more likely to use (and die from) illegal drugs
Over three quarters (78%) of active online betting accounts are held by men and the online betting sector derives an estimated 94% of its revenue from men.
In every age category, from 16-24 years to aged 75+, men show signs of drug dependence more than their female counterparts.The UK-wide the rate of alcohol-specific deaths amongst men is more than double that of women, and the rate of admissions for alcohol is also significantly higher
Almost 5% of the male population in the UK are problem gamblers.
Black and Black British men are disproportionately affected by drug dependence – around 11.5%. This could be explained by their higher use of cannabis
The statistics are rather alarming - they reflect an societal issue often ignored, the alternative accepted as a ‘convenient truth’. This ‘convenient truth’ is that men refuse to engage with mental healthcare due to ego, toxic masculity etc. However the truth is that they are unlikely to engage with a mental healthcare system that is incompatible with their belief systems and the way they view themselves.
The use of high dopamine, addictive substances & behaviors as coping mechanisms emphasizes men’s preference for self-management of their health. However these are uneducated and ultimately short-term coping strategies.
Feedback Loops
Like any high dopamine releasing activity or substance, over time the brain's circuits can adapt and become less sensitive to dopamine - meaning one would require more extreme activities, higher stakes or a stronger dose to achieve the initial level of satisfaction.
This often leads to ‘the spiral’ - losing a job due to repeated hangovers, losing one’s home to gambling debt, losing a partner due to unhealthy use of adult content. It can take many forms, but these issues ultimately stem from the user chasing a feeling that is become increasingly difficult to attain.
Triggers
Our interviews with thought-leaders, phycologists and individuals who have dealt with these issues seem to confirm that they are often introduced to their ‘vice’ following a significant life event.
These often include; leaving home friends to go to university, losing a loved one, losing a job, going through a divorce. These aren’t always negative, but are potentially life-changing events where feelings of fear, anxiousness or uncertainty may appear.
As mentioned above, men often find it hard to conceptualize or address their emotions. These short-term coping mechanisms offer an easy way of alleviating such feelings when they arise. But this is not a long term strategy.
Check out how we use anonymous peer groups to help our users keep their habits in check on our How it Works page!!