Men’s Issues and Men’s Mental Health: An Introductory Primer

Traditionally,  men’s mental health woes have been attributed to male stubbornness and  rigid notions of masculinity. However, there is growing recognition that  mental health issues in men are socially determined by a range of  factors including family, educational, occupational, and legal issues.  These and a variety of other social issues have been collectively  labelled ‘men’s issues’ and are being increasingly linked to negative  men’s mental health outcomes. This book gives an overview of men’s  mental health as well as related men’s issues, adopting a  public-health-inspired approach examining the research linking social  exposures and mental health outcomes. The book is unique in that it  synthesizes and explores men’s issues, men’s mental health, and social  determinants in a holistic and integrated manner through assessment of  the social scientific and psychiatric literature. In this book, the  author discusses the social determinants of men’s mental health and  accompanying psychosocial interventions, moving beyond one-dimensional  discussions of masculinity. Among the topics covered are: The Social  Determinants of Male Suicide Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in  Young Males: The Medicalization of Boyhood? Why Do Men Have Low Rates  of Formal Mental Health Service Utilization? An Analysis of Social and  Systemic Barriers to Care, and Discussion of Promising Male-Friendly  Practices The Gender Gap in Education: Understanding Educational  Underachievement in Young Males and its Relationship to Adverse Mental  Health Employment, Unemployment and Workplace Issues in Relation to  Men’s Mental Health Men’s Issues and Men’s Mental Health: An  Introductory Primer is essential reading for healthcare practitioners  and social service providers including psychiatrists, psychologists,  social workers, occupational therapists, counsellors, teachers, charity  workers, health promotion specialists, and public health officers. It is  also a useful text for graduate and advanced undergraduate students in  health care, social services, public health, epidemiology and social  sciences, particularly sociology, psychology, and gender studies.  Finally, the book can be read and understood by an intelligent lay  reader, making it accessible for the wider public.