Mental health experts have long known that while women have nearly twice the rate of depression diagnoses, men are much more likely to die by suicide, drug overdose and alcohol related deaths — sometimes referred to as deaths of despair. Nearly 80 percent of suicides are among men, with males over age 75 and those who work in traditionally blue collar jobs, such as mining, construction and agriculture, having the highest rates.

Despite men's higher risk of death related to mental illness, women are more likely to seek out help. In 2020, 15 percent of men reported receiving either psychotropic medications or therapy in the past year compared with 26 percent of women.

This disparity in care has left experts scrambling for ways to reach more men, particularly those most at risk and who might be reluctant to talk about their mental health. Research has found that men who exhibit traditional stereotypes of masculinity, such as stoicism and self-reliance, are even less likely to ask for help……..

……“I don’t want to say it’s harder for men, because everyone deals with their own struggles, but I think the stigma around it is that men don’t need to go to therapy,” said Rafael Gómez Jr., 22, who works at a software company in Los Angeles. Gómez started going to therapy after temporarily moving back home during the pandemic, something he initially hid from his parents.

Using the insights from her research, Dr. Spencer-Thomas partnered with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the branding agency Cactus in 2012 to develop a public health campaign, called Man Therapy, that they hoped would engage men who identify with more traditional concepts of masculinity.
Man Therapy, despite its name, is not intended to be a replacement for formal mental health care. It’s a website designed to educate, reduce stigma and encourage men to seek help in times of crisis. In addition to providing links to the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and a therapist finder tool, the website also offers a screening questionnaire to help men evaluate their mental state and self-help tips.

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