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November is the one month of the year when men’s health issues come to the fore. This is largely due to the efforts of the Movember Foundation, the dynamic charity raising funds and awareness about men’s health.

Men’s mental health is an area of key concern, especially the high rates of suicide. Around 75 per cent of suicides are men, with over 50 per week dying by suicide in Canada. These are particularly pronounced in the 40-60 age group. This has led Prof. Dan Bilsker of Simon Fraser University to declare that we are experiencing a “silent epidemic of male suicide.”

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It may be that there is something about being a man in modern society (especially a middle-aged one) that is contributing to these elevated rates of suicide. Three factors, all under-researched and under-acknowledged, may be playing an explanatory role.