Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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Limiting the damage
- Author:
- MILLER Joe
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Today, September 2004, pp.24-27.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
States that men too have gender-related mental health issues to which workers need to be sensitive and aware. The past two decades have seen growing awareness of the role of gender in mental health, and 'gender-blindness' has not served women well. Perceptions of masculinity are a problem. Presents a fact file on suicide, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol and substance abuse, serious mental health problems, victims of violence, crime, high-risk behaviour and AIDS and safe sex. Implications for training are outlined.
Gender and attitudes about mental health help seeking: results from National Data
- Authors:
- WENDT Douglas, SHAFER Kevin
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Work, 41(1), 2016, pp.e20-e28.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Men often express less emotion than women do, are hesitant to express weakness, and seek professional help much less frequently than do their female counterparts. The lack of help seeking is common across characteristics such as age, race, ethnicity, and nationality. Authors used data from the 2006 General Social Surveys mental health module to suggest that the gender gap in help seeking may be rooted in attitudes regarding help-seeking behaviours generally. Using structural equation modeling, the authors linked vignette type (depression and schizophrenia) to the endorsement of help seeking from informal and formal sources. Men showed similar support for informal help seeking regardless of the problem but were less likely to endorse formal help for depression. Furthermore, men were no more or less likely than women to endorse help seeking if the individual in the vignette was male or female. Results show some support for the hypothesis that men are less prone than women to display positive help-seeking attitudes, particularly related to common mental health issues. This may help researchers and clinicians better understand the numerous barriers to men’s help seeking. (Edited publisher abstract)
Men's mental health: a call to social workers
- Authors:
- SHAFER Kevin, WENDT Douglas
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work: A journal of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), 60(2), 2015, pp.105-112.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The status of men's mental health and its resulting effect on individuals, families, and communities are often overlooked by social workers. This article documents the prevalence of common mental health issues among men in the United States, the unique problems that men face, and help-seeking behaviours. They also discuss how social work is in an exceptional position to help men, and the systemic effects that social work practice with men can have. The authors assert that helping improve men's mental health is critical for social work, particularly given its values recognizing the dignity and worth of all individuals. Their goal is to raise awareness and spark an open dialogue about social work practice with men. (Edited publisher abstract)
“Talk” about male suicide? learning from community programmes
- Authors:
- ROBINSON Mark, BRAYBROOK Debbie, ROBERTSON Steve
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Review Journal, 18(3), 2013, pp.115-127.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the contribution of public awareness campaigning in developing community capacity toward preventing male suicide and explores emerging considerations for suicide prevention programme development. Design/methodology/approach: The paper draws on campaign evaluation data, specifically qualitative discussion groups with the general public, to report results concerning campaign processes, and “interim” effectiveness in changing public awareness and attitudes, and then discusses how progress is to be lasting and transformational. Findings: The campaign raised the awareness of a substantial proportion of those targeted, and affected attitudes and behaviour of those who were highly aware. The community settings approach was effective in reaching younger men, but there were challenges targeting the public more selectively, and engaging communities in a sustained way. Practical implications: The paper discusses emerging considerations for suicide prevention, focusing on gender and approaches and materials for engaging with the public as “influencers”. There are challenges to target audiences more specifically, provide a clear call to action, and engage the public in a sustained way. Social implications: The paper discusses emerging considerations for suicide prevention, focusing on gender and approaches and materials for engaging with the public as “influencers”. There are challenges to target audiences more specifically, provide a clear call to action, and engage the public in a sustained way. Originality/value: The paper adds fresh evidence of gendered communication processes, including their effects on public awareness, attitudes and engagement. Application of a theory of change model leads to systems level findings for sustaining programme gains. (Publisher abstract)
Prospective cohort study of mental health during imprisonment
- Authors:
- HASSAN Lamiece, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 198(1), January 2011, pp.37-42.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
There is concern that time spent in prison may have a detrimental impact on mental health, particularly among individuals with pre-existing mental illness. However there is little evidence regarding changes in symptoms in custody over time. This study investigated the prevalence and predictors of psychiatric symptoms among prisoners during early custody in English prisons. A prospective cohort of 3079, mostly male, prisoners was screened for mental illness within 3 days of reception. Of these, 980 prisoners were interviewed to establish baseline diagnoses and symptoms; all remaining in custody were followed up 1 month (58%) and 2 months later (19%). Symptom prevalence was highest during the first week of custody. It showed a linear decline among men and convicted prisoners, but not women or remand prisoners. Prevalence decreased among prisoners with depression, but not among prisoners with other mental illnesses. Overall, imprisonment did not exacerbate psychiatric symptoms, although differences in group responses were observed. The authors suggest there is a need for continued discussion regarding non-custodial alternatives for vulnerable groups and increased support for all during early custody.
Gender roles and help-seeking behaviour: promoting professional help among Japanese men
- Authors:
- CHAN Raymond K. H., HAYASHI Kiyoshi
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work, 10(3), July 2010, pp.243-262.
- Publisher:
- Sage
The help seeking patterns of Japanese men were analysed using data collected through questionnaires completed by 265 participants. Aspects of gender role identity and the socio-demographic factors that predict help seeking attitudes among Japanese men were examined. The researchers found that, in general, the participants showed a moderate level of adherence to traditional gender roles, were sceptical about the efficacy of professional help and did not actively seek or welcome professional assistance, and that the findings support the argument that men's orientation toward success, power and competition and their reluctance to express emotions have a significant impact on their likelihood to seek professional help. The article discusses promoting professional help among Japanese men and the implications of the findings for psychological and counselling practices in Japanese society.
Why should I care about gender?
- Author:
- O'HARA Jean
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Mental Health and Learning Disabilities, 2(2), June 2008, pp.9-18.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This article looks at the published literature on gender as it affects individual vulnerability and risk, and planning, organisation and delivery of health care, with specific focus on the mental health and learning disabilities, and discusses them in the context of recent government policy and guidance. It calls for urgent gender-specific research to understand the key issues facing men and women with learning disabilities, and a rights-based approach to access to education, health care and a competent and informed workforce.
Men and mental wellbeing - encouraging gender sensitivity
- Author:
- WHITE Alan
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Review, 11(4), December 2006, pp.3-6.
- Publisher:
- Pier Professional
This article explores whether men experience and express their emotional wellbeing differently to women, and, if so, why this may be the case. The article then discusses how mental health services can be more sensitive to the needs of men and develop more appropriate responses.
Men's accounts of depression: reconstructing or resisting hegemonic masculinity?
- Authors:
- EMSLIE Carol, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 62(9), May 2006, pp.2246-2257.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
There is evidence that depressive symptoms in men are often undiagnosed and untreated. It has been suggested that men may find it difficult to seek help because culturally dominant (or hegemonic) forms of masculinity are characterised by emotional control and a lack of vulnerability, while depression is often associated with powerlessness and the uncontrolled expression of emotion. However, very little research exists which examines men's experiences of depression. The authors analysed 16 in-depth interviews with a wide range of men with depression in the UK Our analysis explored associations between depression and men's gender identities. The authors found that, as part of recovery from depression, it was important for men to reconstruct a valued sense of themselves and their own masculinity. The most common strategy was to incorporate values associated with hegemonic masculinity into narratives (being ‘one of the boys’, re-establishing control, and responsibility to others). While this strategy could aid recovery, there was also evidence that the pressures of conforming to the standards of hegemonic masculinity could contribute to suicidal behaviour. In contrast, a minority of men had found ways of being masculine which were outside hegemonic discourses. They emphasised their creativity, sensitivity and intelligence, explicitly reflected on different models of masculinity and redefined their ‘difference’ as a positive feature. This research demonstrates that it is possible to locate men who can, and will, talk about depression and their feelings; thus generalisations about depressed men always being silent are misleading. While some men will have the resources to construct identities that resist culturally dominant definitions of masculinity, many others will find it more useful (and perhaps less threatening) to re-interpret potentially feminising experiences as ‘masculine’. Health professionals need to be aware of the issues raised by men's narratives which emphasise control, strength and responsibility to others.
Is the earlier age at onset of schizophrenia in males a confounded finding?
- Authors:
- JABLENSKY Assen, COLE Steven W.
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 170, March 1997, pp.234-240.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
The finding of an earlier age at onset of schizophrenia in males compared with females, replicated across a number of studies, appears to be so robust as to support hypotheses about gender differences in the aetiology of the disorder. Explores the possibility that this observed gender effect might reflect other confounding variables. Concludes that the gender difference in the age at onset of schizophrenia is not a robust biological characteristic of the disorder. Failure to control for marital status and pre-morbid personality in male/female comparisons of age at onset may explain a large part of the differences reported previously.