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Men’s Health Week just came to a close, raising issues that often lurk silently under the surface. One of these issues is men’s mental health. More than 75 per cent of suicides are made by men, with over 50 per week dying by suicide.

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Similarly, almost one in 10 Canadian men meet the criteria for substance use disorder. This means around one million men are seriously struggling with addictions. Also, men are much less likely to use mental health services, meaning many struggle in silence.

This is not only a tragedy for the men involved but also a tragedy for their families, friends and society as a whole. It is essential to understand and address underlying issues.

This must move beyond simplistic platitudes that blame men as stubborn and self-defeating. Instead, social influences on men’s mental health must be examined. Three factors may be especially important.

Firstly, rapid socio-economic change has had a nefarious impact on men’s mental health. In times past, men could realistically expect a job for life, home ownership and a supportive nuclear family. This gave men a sense of pride, purpose and meaning. The demise of manufacturing, the upsurge in divorce, and spiralling property prices has changed this landscape beyond

recognition.

This contributes toward a rapid growth in “failure to launch syndrome,” a term describing the growing inability of young people to transition into normative adult roles. Almost 50 per cent of men in their twenties still live with their parents and their unemployment rates are double the national average. All this can engender frustration and despair. Tragically, many men respond to these existential voids through recourse to drink, drugs and self-neglect.

Secondly, many men report adverse experiences within the justice system, where a double standard seems to be at play.

For example, men make up over 30 per cent of domestic- and sexual-abuse victims, but often report that their complaints are treated with ridicule or indifference.