Scientific research has very often painted the world of psychotherapy “pink” as women seem to be most affected by mental health disorders (McManus et al., 2016). In fact, it seems that mothers (10%) suffer more from psychological problems than fathers (6%) (Parker et al., 2008), and that 1 in 5 women suffer from Depression compared to the male proportion which is 1 to 8 (McManus et al, 2014).
However, the question that arises is whether this is really the case or whether there are rules or social norms related to gender that in some way influence what is reported in the literature.
The data from the UK are an interesting food for thought.
The British Men’s Health Forum reported that men receive fewer diagnoses than women as they are less likely to seek help with psychological well-being issues .
There is, in fact, considerable debate on the percentage of mental health disorders actually present in the male population and on the possibility that there is an underestimation caused by fewer diagnoses. In a 2016 survey conducted by Opinion Leaders for the Men’s Health Forum (see website), most men said they were willing to take time off work to get medical help for organic symptoms, but less than 1 out of 5 said they would do the same for psychological problemssuch as anxiety (19%) or problems related to lowering mood (15%). Still the same forum, in the light of what has just been written, reports data that could instead provide a better picture of the mental health status of men compared to the number of clinical diagnoses actually present. The data reported here comes from a variety of scientific sources such as the University of York and governmental sources such as the Office of National Statics or the Government Education Department. Among these we include that:
- In 2016 there were 5,668 suicides in Great Britain: 76% were men
- 87% of people with excessive sleepiness are men
- Men are three times more likely to develop an alcohol addiction than women
- Men report three times more drug use than women
- 95% of the English prison population is made up of men, 72% of whom suffer from at least one mental health disorder
- Men are 50% more likely than women to receive compulsory psychiatric hospitalization in England
- Men have less access to forms of social support
- 86% of violent crimes are committed by men
- Men are believed to be more likely to suffer from personality disorders (5.4%) than women (3.4%)
The reflection on the Men’s Health Forum suggests that the statistics reported indicate how male emotional and psychological distress can emerge in ways other than those that normally lead to seeking psychological support and even before a diagnosis. Furthermore, another point against them would be the lack of social and emotional support from friends and family, which women have more.
A further reflection underlines how men could also recognize the signs of a decline in their psychological well-being but that, despite this, they are not willing to ask for help, relying more on self-management strategies and thus causing damage not only to themselves but even to those close to them. In the first 3 months of 2015, in the UK, only 36% of people seeking psychotherapy were male.
To better understand the state of the art, several studies were conducted in 2016 involving 1112 men from which it emerged that:
- 34% would feel embarrassed or ashamed of using their lunch break or taking time off from work to go to psychotherapy. The percentage drops to 13% if it deals with organic diseases
- 38% of the sample would be concerned about what their employer would think if they knew that permits are being taken to go to psychotherapy. The percentage drops to 26% if, on the other hand, it is a physical illness
- 28% of men did not seek psychological assistance compared to 19% of women
- Only a quarter of men (25%) told a friend or loved one they had a psychological problem
- Over a third of men (35%) waited more than 2 years or never disclosed a psychological problem to a friend or family member
We currently do not have similar data with respect to the Italian population but we believe that the numbers in our country do not differ much from those in the UK.
Further studies published by the British Psychologycal Society of Liverpool have then highlighted how men who decide to follow a psychotherapeutic path tend to choose the more “pragmatic” ones, prescriptive or self-help groups.
