Men and Mental Health: Common Questions
How mental health difficulty commonly presents in men, and why it is missed.
Last revised
Men and Mental Health: the questions people actually ask, answered from published guidance.
Key takeaways
- Help-seeking: lower in men across most age groups
- Common presentation: irritability, anger, risk-taking, increased drinking
- Most useful single change: Refer yourself to NHS talking therapies; you do not need a GP first.
- Commonest mistake: Using alcohol to manage mood, which worsens it.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to get help" below apply to you.
What is Men and Mental Health?
How mental health difficulty commonly presents in men, and why it is missed.
Why does it matter?
Men are less likely to seek help and substantially more likely to die by suicide, and low mood often presents as irritability, anger or drinking instead.
Common presentation for Men and Mental Health?
Irritability, anger, risk-taking, increased drinking.
Threshold for seeing a GP for Men and Mental Health?
Symptoms most days for 2 weeks or more.
Samaritans, free, any hour for Men and Mental Health?
116 123.
Self-referral to talking therapies for Men and Mental Health?
Available without a GP in England.
What is the single most useful thing to do?
Refer yourself to NHS talking therapies; you do not need a GP first.
What is the most common mistake?
Using alcohol to manage mood, which worsens it.
When should I see a doctor?
See a GP if low mood, irritability or loss of interest has lasted most days for two weeks or more. If you have thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life, contact your GP, call NHS 111, or call the Samaritans free on 116 123 at any hour. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to A&E.
Where to go next
- What Men and Mental Health Is, and Why It Matters
- A Working Checklist for Men and Mental Health
- Men and Mental Health — the reference entry
- What the Guidance Really Says About Male Pattern Hair Loss
- Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
When to get help
See a GP if low mood, irritability or loss of interest has lasted most days for two weeks or more. If you have thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life, contact your GP, call NHS 111, or call the Samaritans free on 116 123 at any hour. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to A&E.
Where this comes from
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.
