via Mind (UK)- 37% of men are feeling worried or low.
- Middle aged men are 7 times more likely than women to have suicidal thoughts.
- Only 23% of men would see their GP if they felt low for over a fortnight.
- Men were only half as likely to talk to friends about problems as women.
Leading mental health charity Mind today (Monday 11 May) publishes the shocking new report Men and mental health: Get it off your chest presenting evidence that the recession is having an adverse affect on men’s mental health. Mind’s You Gov survey found almost 40% of men are worried or low at the moment and the top 3 issues playing on their minds are job security, work and money. A small number of men were even experiencing suicidal thoughts - of these, middle-aged men were much more likely than women to have suicidal thoughts. Middle-aged men currently have the highest suicide rate in England and Wales.
Many people, especially men, find it very hard to be open about mental fragility. They see it as a sign of weakness, and do not like to ask for help. Or they cover it with drink or drugs or behaviour generally likely to end in tears. I certainly support Mind’s call for a government specific mental health strategy for men tailored to their needs. They have one for women and children so why not men?
Read the whole item.
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