A Working Checklist for Men and Mental Health
Men and Mental Health: what is worth doing, what is worth avoiding, and when to stop and see a doctor.
How mental health difficulty commonly presents in men, and why it is missed. 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.
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 speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
Do
- Refer yourself to NHS talking therapies; you do not need a GP first
- Tell one person, which is consistently the hardest and most useful step
- Keep activity and sleep going, both of which affect mood directly
- Ask directly if you are worried about another man; asking does not increase risk
Do not
- Using alcohol to manage mood, which worsens it
- Waiting for crisis before seeking help
- Assuming anger and irritability are unrelated to mood
The numbers behind the list
Those two lists follow from the published figures here.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Help-seeking | lower in men across most age groups |
| Common presentation | irritability, anger, risk-taking, increased drinking |
| Threshold for seeing a GP | symptoms most days for 2 weeks or more |
| Samaritans, free, any hour | 116 123 |
| Self-referral to talking therapies | available without a GP in England |
If you change one thing
Refer yourself to NHS talking therapies; you do not need a GP first. That is the opening item above. Doing only that is still doing something.
Where to go next
- Myths About Men and Mental Health, Checked Against the Guidance
- The First Steps With 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 speak to 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 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.
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