Fewer men than women are diagnosed with depression and treated for depression related disorders and other common mental health problems. This is partly due to the real prevalence of depression being lower in men, which is thought to relate to biological differences between the sexes. However, there is also the compounding challenge of men not seeking help for psychological issues, delaying engagement with therapeutic services until problems deteriorate and being diagnosed with other conditions (e.g. psychosomatic) - that is, depression is hidden or masked by men and is, therefore, under diagnosed. In addition, health professionals and significant others may not recognize mental health issues in men and may not recommend mental health services when they do. It is important to note that gender norms intersect with wider social change and challenges, including economic hardship, limited mental health service provision, racism and discrimination against marginalised groups of men. Although rates of depression are 50% higher in women than men, suicide rates are approximately three times higher in men than in women and are linked to traditional masculinity factors (e.g. limited emotional disclosure and help-seeking) that are disproportionately experienced by specific groups of men(e.g. gay men, rural men, divorced men, and unemployed or indebted (i.e. who feel they have failed in the traditional breadwinner role) men)

In recent times, researchers, theorists, and mental health counselors have directed increased attention toward understanding and effectively treating men’s mental health issues. However, a significant stumbling block persists—comprehensive and evidence-based recommendations for mental health professionals are notably scarce. This glaring gap leaves practitioners grappling with uncertainty, struggling to comprehend how to adeptly engage and clinically treat men in therapy. As societal trends show alarming rates of suicide, substance abuse, and a reluctance among men to seek mental health services, the call for innovative and creative strategies becomes increasingly urgent. Mental Health Counseling for Men: Practical Strategies and Effective Engagement is a groundbreaking exploration that boldly confronts the issue at hand. The book recognizes the importance for mental health professionals to move beyond traditional approaches and embrace innovative strategies to effectively reach and treat men. Serving as a response to the escalating crisis, the book acts as a guide that seamlessly blends theoretical insights, practical counseling approaches, and evidence-based interventions. By unearthing the underlying challenges contributing to the disproportionate rates of mental health issues among men, this book aims to equip mental health counselors with the knowledge and tools needed to address and reverse these alarming trends. It connects the interest in men's mental health with the lack of practical advice, providing a path for practitioners to transform men's mental health care.

This volume synthesizes and evaluates major theories, research, and applications in the psychology of men and masculinities--a thriving, growing field dedicated to the study of how men's lives shape, and are shaped by, sex and gender.

This book focuses on the multiple and diverse masculinities ‘at work’. Spanning both historical approaches to the rise of ‘profession’ as a marker of masculinity, and critical approaches to the current structures of management, employment and workplace hierarchy, the book questions what role masculinity plays in cultural understandings, affective experiences and mediatised representations of a professional ‘career’.

This book explores the social, political and theoretical underpinnings of the men's health field. Written by experts in the field, it provides a comprehensive understanding of the relationships between cultural understandings and health-related issues. It looks at important issues such as prostate cancer, chest pain and heart disease and how men experience such problems. It examines sexuality, mental illness and ethnicity as well as the role that sport can play in men's health outcomes.

This book critically explores the intersections between male rape, masculinities, and sexualities. It examines the ways in which male rape is policed, responded to, and addressed by state and voluntary agencies in Britain. The book uncovers how notions of gender, sexualities and masculinities shape these agencies’ understanding of male rape and their views of men as victims of rape. Javaid pays particular attention to the police and deconstructs police subculture to consider whether it influences and shapes the ways in which police officers provide services for male rape victims. Grounded in qualitative interviews and data derived from the state and voluntary sector, this book will be invaluable reading for sociologists, criminologists, and social scientists who are keen to learn more about gender, policing, sexual violence and male sexual victimisation.