- Moderator
- #25
Sideways
VIP Member
It seems like more of a discussion paper than guidelines. However,
(1) psychological issues for men and boys in particular (referencing that they're more likely to be victims of violent crimes than women, and have lower reported depression yet higher completed suicides than women);
(2) that men often have common traits or beliefs that impact their access to mental health treatment, as well as the effectiveness of that treatment (and suggests that depression scales are inadequate in identifying depression in men and need improving, which would be a really significant step in improving mental health access);
(3) that the therapist may need to identify their own biases when treating men; and
(4) that while there are elements of traditional masculinity which are are toxic (like violence), there are also elements of masculinity that are positive (and it cites courage and leadership as positive examples, then discusses briefly the pros as well as the cons of stoicism in different settings).
It may come from a very messed up place in academia. But my personal reading is that, having recognised there are mental health issues that plague men in particular, it has attempted to identify the traits of masculinity that might be influencing those issues, and concludes that some elements of masculinity can be detrimental to mental health, while others are very positive, and others still may be positive, or negative, depending on the circumstances.
I'm not reading "men should be more like women" at all.
ETA I guess a more productive question would be, "What would you have liked to see in these guidelines to improve access and treatment for men?"
While they may come out of a skewed academic framework (I have no idea), there does seem to be a genuine attempt to recognise
(1) psychological issues for men and boys in particular (referencing that they're more likely to be victims of violent crimes than women, and have lower reported depression yet higher completed suicides than women);
(2) that men often have common traits or beliefs that impact their access to mental health treatment, as well as the effectiveness of that treatment (and suggests that depression scales are inadequate in identifying depression in men and need improving, which would be a really significant step in improving mental health access);
(3) that the therapist may need to identify their own biases when treating men; and
(4) that while there are elements of traditional masculinity which are are toxic (like violence), there are also elements of masculinity that are positive (and it cites courage and leadership as positive examples, then discusses briefly the pros as well as the cons of stoicism in different settings).
It may come from a very messed up place in academia. But my personal reading is that, having recognised there are mental health issues that plague men in particular, it has attempted to identify the traits of masculinity that might be influencing those issues, and concludes that some elements of masculinity can be detrimental to mental health, while others are very positive, and others still may be positive, or negative, depending on the circumstances.
I'm not reading "men should be more like women" at all.
ETA I guess a more productive question would be, "What would you have liked to see in these guidelines to improve access and treatment for men?"
Last edited:
