Men’s Health Week (13 – 19 June) is a time for people to raise awareness of physical and mental health issues that are specific to men and highlight the support and services that are available for men to access in the UK.
Current attitudes in society today, such as traditional models of masculinity and gender norms, are creating a barrier for men to access physical and mental health care.
Statistics indicate that men are less likely to ask for advice or reach out for support for both physical and mental health concerns. The Men’s Health Forum found that men are less likely than women to visit their GP or pharmacy (among those aged 20-40 women attended a general practice twice as often). Research shows that around one in eight men has a common mental health problem such as depression, anxiety, panic disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and men are three times as likely to die by suicide.
This week our MHFAE Chief Executive, Simon Blake, sat down with Mike Christensen, European Lifestyle Editor at British GQ, to chat about the physical and mental health challenges that men face today. They discuss navigating expectations of masculinity and stereotypes as a man and how this can impact societal attitudes towards men’s mental and physical health. They highlight the importance of sharing information and knowledge to educate and encourage men to reach out for support when they need it.
