How Many Men Seek Mental Health Help?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Nearly one in four women received any mental health treatment (24.7%) in the past 12 months, compared with

13.4%

of men (Figure 2).

Are men more likely to seek mental help?

In general, Mahalik says,

men are more likely to seek help for problems that they think are normative

–that is, problems that many other men share. “If men perceive that being depressed is not ‘normal,’ then if they do try to get help they may feel dysfunctional and aberrant,” Mahalik explains.

Are men less likely to seek mental health care?

According to the National Institute of Mental Health ,

men are less likely to have received mental health treatment than women in the past year

. This doesn’t mean men don’t need or benefit from treatment.

What percentage of people with mental health receive help?

One adult in eight (

12.1%)

receives mental health treatment, with 10.4% receiving medication and 3% receiving psychological therapy. The overlap within the statistics is due to 1.3% of those receiving treatment reporting receiving both medication and psychological therapy.

Are males more likely to be depressed?


Women are nearly twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression

. Depression can occur at any age. Some mood changes and depressed feelings occur with normal hormonal changes.

Who are more likely to seek help males or females?

One of the most common findings in the literature is that

females are more likely to seek help than males

. Rogler and Cortez (1993) suggest that gender differences in help-seeking are best explained by different cultural gender roles, with regard to who takes on socioemotional leadership in the family.

How many people have mental health issues?

Mental illnesses are common in the United States. Nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness (

52.9 million in 2020)

. Mental illnesses include many different conditions that vary in degree of severity, ranging from mild to moderate to severe.

Why is men’s mental health important?


Most people need professional help to feel better

. Without it, depression can lead to serious consequences, such as trying to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol, or worse — suicide. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., and men die by suicide at rates almost four times higher than women.

What is the stigma behind men’s mental health?

Mental health stigmas can start for men when they’re very young. For instance,

some family dynamics may discourage boys from showing vulnerability or crying

. Instead, they may be told to “man up”, “act like a man”, or a number of similar phrases that you, yourself, may be familiar with.

How can men reduce mental health stigma?

If you have suffered from mental health issues of your own,

sharing stories about your experiences and journey

can help to normalize the issue, reduce the stigma, and encourage others to speak out about what they are experiencing.

Is there a stigma around mens mental health?

One in four people experience a mental health problem each year, yet

the stigma around them is greater than with physical illness

. This stigma tends to affect men disproportionately, and societal expectations and traditional gender roles are thought to play a big part in this.

What is the most prevalent mental illness in Australia?

About 45 per cent of Australian adults will be affected by mental illness at some time in their life.

Anxiety, mood disorders (such as depression) and substance use disorders

are the most common mental illnesses experienced by Australian adults.

Which gender is more likely to anxiety?


Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder

, and the prevalence of anxiety disorders is significantly higher for women (23.4 percent) than men (14.3 percent).

What percentage of men have suicidal thoughts?

In 2020, it was estimated that around

nine percent

of men aged 18-25 years seriously considered committing suicide at some point in the past year. This statistic displays the percentage of U.S. men who had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year in 2019 and 2020, by age.

Who is more sensitive male or female?

In numerous studies

females score higher than males

in standard tests of emotion recognition, social sensitivity and empathy. Neuroimaging studies have investigated these findings further and discovered that females utilise more areas of the brain containing mirror neurons than males when they process emotions.

Are men more likely to ask for help?

Common wisdom and social-scientific studies hold that

men are less likely to ask for help than women are

, a phenomenon that spreads across arenas as mundane as asking for directions and as serious as getting help for clinical depression.

Why is mental health such a big issue now?

Mental health conditions are increasing worldwide. Mainly

because of demographic changes

, there has been a 13% rise in mental health conditions and substance use disorders in the last decade (to 2017). Mental health conditions now cause 1 in 5 years lived with disability.

What population is most affected by mental illness?

  • Non-Hispanic Asian: 13.9%
  • Non-Hispanic white: 22.6%
  • Non-Hispanic black or African-American: 17.3%
  • Non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native: 18.7%
  • Non-Hispanic mixed/multiracial: 35.8%

Who is more prone to mental illness?

The National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) found that, generally,

more men than women

report any mental illness: 21.2 percent of men compared to 14.8 percent of women report mental illness in general. 4 However, certain conditions, like mood disorders, are more likely to affect women than men.

Which disorder is more common in males?

WASHINGTON—When it comes to mental illness, the sexes are different: Women are more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression, while men tend toward

substance abuse or antisocial disorders

, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association.

Why do guys get depressed?


Environmental Stress

—financial problems, loss of a loved one, a difficult relationship, major life changes, work problems, or any stressful situation may trigger depression in some men. Illness—depression can occur with other serious medical illnesses, such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, or Parkinson’s disease.

What month is men’s mental health?


June

is Men’s Health Month!

If you think you or a loved-one may be experiencing signs of a mental illness, visit www.mhascreening.org to take a free, quick and confidential screen for depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, PTSD, and/or Alcohol or Substance Use problems.

Rachel Ostrander
Author
Rachel Ostrander
Rachel is a career coach and HR consultant with over 5 years of experience working with job seekers and employers. She holds a degree in human resources management and has worked with leading companies such as Google and Amazon. Rachel is passionate about helping people find fulfilling careers and providing practical advice for navigating the job market.