{"id":7263,"date":"2018-11-19T09:55:18","date_gmt":"2018-11-19T09:55:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thechelseapsychologyclinic.com\/mens-mental-health\/"},"modified":"2025-01-30T14:04:20","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T14:04:20","slug":"mens-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechelseapsychologyclinic.com\/blog\/mens-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Men\u2019s mental health"},"content":{"rendered":"
Over the past decades, mainstream culture and society at large has done a great job of stitching threads of gender stereotypes throughout the collective consciousness \u2013\u00a0threads which, interestingly, are rapidly loosening day-by-day in the current decade. But while John Lewis removes gender labels from clothing<\/a><\/u> and Harvard Law School installs gender neutral bathrooms,\u00a0\u00a0it would appear that simple sentiments such as \u201cbig boys don\u2019t cry\u201d and the notion that boys need to \u201cman up\u201d are proving to be hard knots to unravel \u2013 as the statistics indicating male suicide rates continue to rise<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n In this article, we\u2019re going to explore the domain of male mental health and how we can all work together to support each other\u2019s growth and mental wellbeing.<\/p>\n Over the years, we\u2019ve noticed that a lot more men are seeking out psychological therapy<\/a><\/u> to help them achieve their goals in life. Many years ago, the majority of our clients were female, however, nowadays our client base is largely split 50-50 between men and women. We\u2019ve noticed that male mental health therapy is being sought by men from younger rather than older generations. And when men do seek help, it\u2019s usually regarding work related stress, or the stress within their relationship.<\/p>\n Another big trend we\u2019ve noticed, is that men often seek confidential treatment<\/a><\/u>, so they can work through their issues in private. This is especially important for high profile men, executives and celebrities who have a reputation of excellence to uphold in their daily lives. This is something we offer at our clinic, because our records are kept confidentially and are in no way linked with the records kept by your GP or the NHS.<\/p>\n Men are more likely to channel difficult emotions into sport, or into a side project or hobby, like gardening, rather than speak up about what\u2019s happening in their emotional lives. Since early adulthood, men are often told to simply \u2018man up\u2019 or to \u2018grow a pair\u2019 and aren\u2019t encouraged to speak up about how they really feel. As society changes, and parents don\u2019t allow their children to play outside with other kids in their local community (as many of us used to do decades ago) many young boys and teens are increasingly finding themselves isolated \u2013\u00a0so if they do speak up, who\u2019s there to truly listen?<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re a man or a woman, a partner or a friend, a family member or a co-worker, and you\u2019re concerned about a man in your life, it\u2019s good to know that there are many things you can do to help this person get through whatever it is they\u2019re going through.<\/p>\n All you need to do is ask this person to \u2018speak up\u2019 to share what they\u2019re feeling with you. By listening attentively and seeking to understand, you have done the person in front of you a world of good. You can also be on the look out for the following warning signs, that may indicate male mental health issues:<\/p>\n Interestingly, every year almost 200k men<\/u><\/a> report stress, anxiety or depression that\u2019s either caused or made worse by work. The age group that features the most number of complaints is the 45-54 bracket, which is in fact significantly higher than all other age groups. Men\u2019s Mental Health Forum<\/u> <\/a>also notes that:<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take the simple example of childbirth. In the 50s and 60s, men were not required or encouraged to be at the birth of their own child. As seen in this black and white film clip by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1962<\/a><\/u>, many men weren\u2019t keen on the idea and many women were equally not supportive of the idea themselves. Now, as noted in an article by the BBC titled \u2018How it almost became mandatory for dads to attend the birth<\/a><\/u>\u2019, we see that not only is it widely accepted for men to be present at the birth of their child, it\u2019s expected. No-one questions a dad attending the birth, and there\u2019s no stigma around it either.<\/p>\n As women play an increasing role in the workplace and in politics, and are more visibly fighting for equality through global movements like #metoo, it\u2019s understandable that men will be feeling increased stress and pressure in life and especially at maintaining their position at work. Women also feel the strain when the men in their lives can\u2019t cope \u2013\u00a0in a cyclical problem that feeds itself, it seems everyone needs someone to talk to, but no-one is fully available to listen.<\/p>\n In answer to the question \u2018how did we navigate past societal changes?\u2019 like the simple issue of dads attending their child\u2019s birth, the answer is obvious. We found our way together back then \u2013\u00a0so we\u2019ll navigate the changes together now \u2013\u00a0regardless of gender.<\/p>\nTrends that we\u2019ve seen at the clinic<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Men often seek confidential treatment<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Men generally take longer to ask for help<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Are you worried about a man in your life?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Statistics on male mental health in the workplace<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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How did we navigate societal changes in the past?<\/strong><\/h3>\n