Mind’s YouGov survey of over 2000 men and women found that:
To download the full repot click here.
Here are some of the main findings in the report.
- 31% of men would feel embarrassed about seeking help for mental distress
- Just 14% of men (35-44yrs) would see a GP if they felt low compared to 37% of women
- 4% of young men (18-24yrs) would see a counsellor if they
- felt low compared to 13% of young women
- Only 31% of men would talk to their family about feeling low compared to nearly half of women
- Almost twice as many men as women get angry when they are worried
- 10% of men say they find sex the best way to relax compared to 4% of women
- Almost twice as many men as women drink alcohol to cope with feeling down
- Women are nearly 5 times more likely to get tearful than men
- 45% of men think they can fight off feeling down compared to 36% of women.
(Source, Mind's 2009 You Gov Survey)
MP Robert Syms thinks celebrity role models could play a vital part in getting men to seek out help and support. 
Employment
45 per cent of men were currently worried about their finances.
27 per cent of men were worried about job security compared
to 22 per cent of women.
Men were twice as likely to want to have help available at
work or at jobcentres as women in almost all age groups.
Professor Roz Shafran explains why...
Help-seeking
Only 23 per cent of men would see their GP if they felt
low for more than two weeks compared to 33 per cent of
women.
Just 14 per cent of men aged 35 to 44 would see a GP if they were feeling low compared to 37 per cent of
women of the same age.
Men were half as likely as women to go to a counsellor or
therapist to talk about their feelings.
45 per cent of men thought they can fight off feeling down
compared to 36 per cent of women.
‘Acting out’
Almost twice as many men as women admitted to getting
angry when they are worried.
Young men (18 to 24) were five times as likely to take
recreational drugs when worried as young women
( 5 per cent of men compared to 1 per cent of women).
Men were twice as likely as women to have suicidal
thoughts when worried (5 per cent of men compared to 2
per cent of women).
Men aged 45 to 54 were seven times more likely to
experience suicidal thoughts when worried as women of the
same age.
Coping strategies
Almost twice as many men as women drank alcohol to copewith feeling down (16 per cent of men compared to 8 per
cent of women).
Men chose to relax by watching TV (48 per cent), listening to music (33 per cent), going for a walk (21 per cent) or reading (21 per cent).
Women chose to relax by watching TV (43 per cent), reading (31 per cent), taking a bath (26 per cent) or talking tofriends (24 per cent).
Professor Roz Shafran explains why men are more inclined to turn to alcohol.
Family and friends
Men were almost half as likely to talk to friends about
their problems as women (29 per cent of men compared
to 53 per cent of women).
Only 31 per cent of men would talk to their family about
feeling low compared to 47 per cent of women.
Young men were the most likely group to tell a friend to ‘pull
themselves together’ if they were feeling low.
(Source, Mind's 2009 You Gov Survey)