Into the Mainstream (DH, 2002) intended to encourage policy-makers and
service-planners in the field of mental health to become more sensitive
to the needs of women. The consequence has been the development of a
variety of specific local and national workstreams which have sought
ultimately to improve service delivery for women with mental health
problems.
Men's mental health needs have not, to date, been paid the same
attention. It could be argued that the data supports a concentration
of activity on mental ill health in women, at least in the first
instance, since neurotic disorders in particular (anxiety, depression,
phobia and obsessive compulsive disorder) are much more commonly
diagnosed in women than men (MHF, 2006). Without diminishing the
importance of women's mental health however, it is clear that the
bigger picture is rather more complicated than it first seems.
75% of people who kill themselves are men.
73% of adults who go missing from home are men.
90% of rough sleepers are men.
One man in eight is dependent on alcohol (men are three times more likely to become alcohol dependent).
78% of drug-related deaths occur in men (men are more than twice as likely to use Class A drugs).
Men make up 94% of the prison population - and 72% of male
prisoners suffer from two or more mental disorders (compared with 5% of
men in the general population).
46% of male psychiatric inpatients (compared with 29% of female patients) are detained and treated compulsorily .
Almost every personality disorder, including antisocial personality disorder, is more likely to be diagnosed in men.
84% of children excluded from school are boys.
Boys are five times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls.
Young men are significantly more likely than young women to
emerge from the education system with lower levels of qualification.
Men have measurably lower access to the social support of friends, relatives and community.
This list demonstrates that some indicators of poor mental health are
more strongly associated with men than women and some indicators of
good mental health are less so. The list also suggests that some
measures of emotional and psychological distress that are more common
in men do not fall comfortably within the conventional diagnostic
framework.
The GE&WMH programme has commissioned the Men`s Health Forum to
carry out a scoping exercise to identify the specific mental health
needs of men. This will provide direction for further work. download a copy of the Men's Health Forum's " Mind Your Head "
Further information on Mental Health can be found at Mind
