The article explores how gender dynamics plays an important role in determining access to mental health for men.
With the rise in incidences of non-communicable diseases across the globe, there is a widespread interest in the promotion of mental well-being. Mental health problems are a significant issue for millions of people across the globe. Yet, there have been very few studies related to gender-targeted interventions, which are primarily aimed at promoting mental well-being differently for men and women.
Gender plays an important role in explaining how men and women possess power, control and access over various resources. To fully understand and address mental health issues, it is critical to acknowledge that due to social, economic and environment factors, certain people are at higher risks to different mental health problems, which often interact with other factors like ethnicity, gender, race and disability.
A 2006 WHO report states that gender has significant explanatory power regarding the differential susceptibility and exposure to mental health risks and differences in mental health outcomes.
Figure 1: Diagram of social determinants of mental health adapted from the Determinants of health (Mental Health Foundation, 2016)
The elevated rates of suicide and substance abuse, as well as low rates of usage of mental health services amongst men is a burgeoning crisis. To understand mental health specific to men, it is important to navigate the ambit within which gender roles function. Multiple studies conducted by WHO and other independent scholars indicate that difference in rates of disorder is only one dimension of the role that gender plays in mental health and illness. Beyond rates, gender is also linked to differences in risk and susceptibility, the timing of onset and course of disorders, diagnosis, treatment and adjustment to mental disorders (WHO, 2006) (Astbury, 1999) (Afifi, 2007).
The gender specific mental health studies (which are only a handful) oftentimes focus on the differences between mental health problems that each gender is susceptible to. These studies show that prevalence of depression and anxiety is much higher in women, while substance use disorders and antisocial behaviours are higher in men. In case of severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar depression, there are no consistent sex differences, but men typically have an earlier onset of schizophrenia, while women are more likely to exhibit serious forms of bipolar depression (WHO, 2002) (Mental Health Foundation, 2016).
While there exist differences in the kinds of disorder and the onset, it is also critical to study how gender roles determine the differences in help-seeking behaviors between men and women. Recent researches show that socially constructed differences between women and men in roles and responsibilities, status and power, interact with biological differences between the sexes to contribute to differences in the nature of mental health problems suffered, health seeking behaviour of those affected and responses of the health sector and society as a whole (WHO, 2002). Men are often late in recognising the symptoms and acknowledging the need for help, thereby exacerbating the symptoms. A study from Finland indicates how men might use alcohol and other substances to deal with their stress or personal problems.
To decrease the morbidity of mental illness and addictions among men, it is imperative that their mental health is improved, by bettering their mental health knowledge, coping skills and help-seeking behaviours. Importantly, this involves reducing the associated stigma amongst men. Additionally, digital interventions with its proliferation rate and anonymous emotional support, can also play a significant role in improving men’s mental health. For these interventions to be effective, they will need to continuously evolve and factor in the interaction of social, political, economic factors, which influence health-related behaviors i.e. symptoms, help-seeking, utilisation of health services and diagnosis.
Pallavi Karnatak
March 8, 2019
source https://indiaoutbound.org/understanding-mens-mental-health-using-a-gender-lens/
No comments:
Post a Comment