Mental health among men is a major problem in society, such as high rates of substance abuse and suicide rates among men. In Australia, within five years, mental health care spending increased by 30% nationally, spending on mental health in the community increased by 17%, and “funds allocated to non-governmental organizations to provide community support to people with a psychiatric disability grew by 200%,”. A potential solution to men’s mental health would be having a wide variety of classes to allow men to connect their feelings and develop progressive masculinity. As mentioned by Joe Conrad, the common traditional links among men include aggression, misogyny, and negative health outcomes. A major problem in society for men is that they feel pressure to live up to other men and want to have the same muscle as another man. This is because they feel that women view men strongly based on the amount of muscle someone has. However, this is not the case. They care more about personality. The solution to men’s mental health would be to receive help sooner rather than later, also helping men with the issue behind eating disorders.
Mental health among men is a silent killer that begs for public attention. With low diagnoses, high suicide rates, and poor access to mental health services, male mental health has a multitude of barriers to overcome. Often male depression is portrayed as anger, risk-taking, hostility, irritability, escaping behaviours, and aggressiveness. These behaviours often mask signs of depression, such as crying. Due to society’s expectation of male feelings, even men who recognize the need for help will go without it. It is imperative for health care professionals to recognize the early signs of male depression and address the issue in a nonthreatening manner resulting in a more therapeutic result.
The first step needs to be changing the stigma around male mental health. This is in line with the social cognitive theory. Men need to know they are not alone in their struggle. Feel their emotions. Men need a nonconfrontational way to ask for help and receive assistance. Men often view mental health facilities as a women’s service (Spencer 2). They need to feel that it is okay to look for assistance in issues on mental health and not feel socially isolated. From a clinical cultural perspective, their health is due to their own choices and decisions and their culture and social consciousness. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified three recommendations to address mental health worldwide. The WHO recommends deinstitutionalizing mental health, integrating mental health into general health care, and developing mental health services in the community.
Strategies Used to Reach Out to the Audience
Among the strategies used by the campaign to reach out to its target audience were: one, an PC and mobile version of an interactive website that gave users information about substance abuse, depression and anxiety. Additionally, it provided a means of curbing these problems and access to suicide prevention therapist finder. Two, out of home campaigns. This was done during August and September 2012. Additionally, posters and business cards were distributed to bars and restaurants that men frequently visit. Fourthly, the use of videos housed on the website and youtube. Some testimonial videos depict the suicide crisis among men and how it took its toll on their progress and general well-being. Also, social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook were used. Town hall meetings were held throughout Colorado, and finally, conference presentations are still in Colorado.
Evaluation of Outcomes
The outcomes of the survey were evaluated using three different strategies. One was by use of website analytics. This looked at the number of people who visited the site, returned to the site after an initial visit, those who accessed crisis information, and others worried about someone. The second method was by use of pop-up survey questions. After some time on the website, a pop-up survey displays and users get to give their feedback on their experience on the website. Questions such as their likelihood to recommend the website to a friend or even whether or not they were satisfied with the quality of therapies on the website. The ratings for experiences were high. Lastly was the use of an in-depth survey. The survey sought to ask demographic questions, thus allowing for qualitative responses. Such included their gender, the patterns and frequency of major themes such as humour, the relief the website provided, its quality, and its features.
Conclusion
Mental health among men is a silent killer that begs for public attention. The view that men are strong when it comes to physical activities does not imply when it comes to personality. Also, due to this expectation from society, men who recognize the need for help will not go for it. They need to be sensitized and helped. Campaigns such as Man Therapy have shown tremendous progress in helping men battling mental issues. Such organizations should continue with the good work in helping our men.
Works Cited
Spencer-Thomas, Sally et al. Mantherapy.Org, 2014, https://mantherapy.org/pdf/White-Paper-Man-Therapy.pdf.
