Men's Issues and Men's Mental Health

Traditionally, men’s mental health woes have been attributed to male stubbornness and rigid notions of masculinity. However, there is growing recognition that mental health issues in men are socially determined by a range of factors including family, educational, occupational, and legal issues. These and a variety of other social issues have been collectively labelled ‘men’s issues’ and are being increasingly linked to negative men’s mental health outcomes. This book gives an overview of men’s mental health as well as related men’s issues, adopting a public-health-inspired approach examining the research linking social exposures and mental health outcomes. The book is unique in that it synthesizes and explores men’s issues, men’s mental health, and social determinants in a holistic and integrated manner through assessment of the social scientific and psychiatric literature.

In this book, the author discusses the social determinants of men’s mental health and accompanying psychosocial interventions, moving beyond one-dimensional discussions of masculinity. Among the topics covered are:

• The Social Determinants of Male Suicide
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Young Males: The Medicalization of Boyhood?
• Why Do Men Have Low Rates of Formal Mental Health Service Utilization? An Analysis of Social and Systemic Barriers to Care, and Discussion of Promising Male-Friendly Practices
• The Gender Gap in Education: Understanding Educational Underachievement in Young Males and its Relationship to Adverse Mental Health
• Employment, Unemployment and Workplace Issues in Relation to Men’s Mental Health

Men’s Issues and Men’s Mental Health: An Introductory Primer is essential reading for healthcare practitioners and social service providers including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, counsellors, teachers, charity workers, health promotion specialists, and public health officers. It is also a useful text for graduate and advanced undergraduate students in health care, social services, public health, epidemiology and social sciences, particularly sociology, psychology, and gender studies. Finally, the book can be read and understood by an intelligent lay reader, making it accessible for the wider public.