Men's help-seeking
Men & Help-Seeking
Help-seeking has been a hot topic amongst masculinity researchers for several years. Findings from this work have revealed useful information about men’s responses to mental health difficulties.
Spoiler alert: Man up psychology doesn’t result in men rushing to make a psychologist appointment.
Masculinity
A large pile of scientific research has looked at help-seeking in males for both physical and psychological problems. The role of masculine stereotypes has grabbed a lot of attention in this area. Numerous studies suggest that conforming to traditional masculinities is associated with reduced help-seeking (1). For instance, you may be hesitant to see a psychologist when ‘independence’ forms the core of your masculine identity.
But, masculinities appear to have more widespread effects. For example, it has been suggested that sticking to traditional masculine norms can affect the experience of depression symptoms and how they are managed (2).
Toxic masculinity
Researcher Will Courtenay (3) proposed that the context of health provides an opportunity to ‘do’ masculinities (demonstrate particular masculine traits), just like we see the ‘doing’ of masculinities in other domains (e.g., sport).
Courtenay’s theory is important when you consider research on help-seeking barriers. One group of researchers found that barriers to seeking help for physical and psychological problems included a reluctance to talk about emotions and health concerns with professionals (4).
If you’re a bloke who feels anxious around a health issue, you might be motivated to ignore symptoms to demonstrate qualities such as toughness or resilience. Other problems (e.g., porn addiction) may come with a degree of embarrassment, further reducing the chances of reaching out for help.
What can you do?
An important take-home message from this research is that help-seeking is a complicated process. It would be a mistake to reduce a reluctant help-seeker’s behaviour to a single cause.
Bearing this in mind, here are some suggestions for responding to a male who may need help:
You can’t force it. Pushing someone towards an appointment before they are ready is likely to end badly. This guideline might be familiar to those of you who are aware of ‘precontemplation’ and ‘contemplation’ in the Stages of Change Model (5). Instead of pushing too hard, you should regularly remind him that you are available to listen or talk.
We don’t need the ‘man-friendly’ language thanks. Some people suggest we should terms like ‘stress’ rather than ‘depression’. I personally think this is rubbish. You can’t say on the one hand there is no shame in experiencing psychological difficulties, then use euphemistic language. Depression is depression, and anxiety is anxiety. We should put our energy into compassionately using simple, direct communication.
Actively address anxiety about attending a psychologist appointment. I often have clients (male and female) who are uncomfortable in the initial stages of working with me. The good news is that this usually fades quickly. It makes total sense that addressing something unpleasant fills people with dread. Find a psychologist who is happy to have some preliminary contact to break the ice. Working with someone who has a collaborative philosophy is equally vital. Feeling like you have a say/have control over the process can help men stick with sessions (6).
Seek out other men who have worked with a psychologist. This strategy can help normalise the process of help-seeking and weed out unhelpful and/or false beliefs about what happens.
Seek out other men who don’t follow the script of traditional masculinities. Behaviour change is hard if you have narrowly-focused beliefs about how men should behave. Spending time with more psychologically ‘flexible’ guys can help open up help-seeking as an acceptable activity.
If you can’t recognise mental health problems, there is little chance of timely help-seeking occurring. Lack of knowledge about psychological issues can be a barrier to help-seeking in males (7). Don’t assume an accurate understanding of psychological problems. Use reliable sources of information such as the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and the British Psychological Society (BPS).
Positive feelings and attitudes can encourage help-seeking. For example, hope has been linked with intentions to seek assistance amongst US university students (8). Why would you seek help if you believed there was no hope of improvement? Talking to people who have benefitted from psychological input can assist here, along with looking for previous examples of wellbeing improvements.
Summary
Men’s help-seeking is a complicated issue. However, there are several ways to promote this behaviour when psychological difficulties arise. I recommend gentle, collaborative support because men (and women) are attempting to navigate a confusing web of societal expectations around gender roles. A positive perspective on help-seeking (e.g., a courageous act) may provide a catalyst for addressing mental health issues.
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References
(1) Galdas, P. M., Cheater, F., & Marshall, P. (2005). Men and health help-seeking behaviour: Literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 49(6), 616-623.
(2) Seidler, Z. E., Dawes, A. J., Rice, S. M., Oliffe, J. L., Dhillon, H. M. (2016). The role of masculinity in men’s help-seeking for depression: A systematic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 49, 106-118.
(3) Courtenay, W. H. (2000). Constructions of masculinity and their influence on men’s well-being: A theory of gender and health. Social Science & Medicine, 50(10), 1385-1401.
(4) Yousaf, O., Grunfeld, E. A., & Hunter, M. S. (2013). A systematic review of the factors associated with delays in medical and psychological help-seeking among men. Health Psychology Review, 9(2), 264-276.
(5) Prochaska, J.O., DiClemente, C.C., & Norcross, J.C. (1992). In search of how people change: Applications to the addictive behaviors. American Psychologist, 47, 1102-1114.
(6) Sayers, M. R., Miller, K. M. (2004). Help-seeking behaviours of suicidal men aged 17-35 years: A consumer consultation and participation pilot project. Ministerial Council for Suicide Prevention, Perth.
(7) Cleary, A. (2016). Help-seeking patterns and attitudes to treatment amongst men who attempted suicide. Journal of Mental Health, 26(3), 220-224.
(8) McDermott, R. C., Cheng, H-L., Wong, J., Booth, N., Jones, Z., & Sevig, T. (2017). Hope for help-seeking: A positive psychology perspective of psychological help-seeking intentions. The Counseling Psychologist, 45(2), 1-29