I m the only one who can do anything about this. : Understanding Gender and Men s Help-Seeking.

Transcription

1 I m the only one who can do anything about this. : Understanding Gender and Men s Help-Seeking. Michael Addis, Ph.D. Professor Department of Psychology Clark University maddis@clarku.edu

2 Point 1 The Invisibility of Men s Vulnerability is a National, and Likely an International, Public Health Challenge.

3 Point 2 Men Don t Ask For Help is an empirically problematic statement, and a pragmatically unproductive one.

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5 Some Facts about Men s Well-Being Men Die an average of 5-7 years younger than women Are four times more likely than women to commit suicide Are less likely to seek help for virtually *every* problem Drop out of treatment more quickly Ask fewer questions of physicians Are *asked* fewer questions by physicians

6 Trends in Suicide Rates* Among Persons Ages 10 Years and Older, by Sex, United States, (CDC)

7 Trends in Suicide Rates* Among Males, by Age Group, United States, (CDC)

8 Trends in Suicide Rates* Among Males Ages Years, by Age Group, United States, (CDC)

9 Depression: Gender Differences NCS Data (n=8098) Kessler RC et al., J Affect Disorders. 1993; 29: 85-96

10 Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS- R). Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6), Kessler, et al. (2005). Lifetime Prevalence and Age-of-Onset Distributions of DSM-IV Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

11 Illicit Drug or Alcohol Dependence or Abuse, by Age and Gender: 2004 Source: SAMSHA

12 Facts about Men s Mental Health Compared to women, men in the U.S.: Violent Crime Substance Abuse Depression and Anxiety??? Help-Seeking for Mental and Physical Health Problems 4:1 Suicide Ratio

13 Solutions: Reach Out to Men

14 Solutions: Gender Sensitive Clinical Work

15 Solutions: More Masculine Mental Health Services?

16 Fundamental Question How can men, as a group, be so visible, so audible, and in such positions of power in society, and yet as individuals, often feel so disempowered, and experience inner vulnerability and pain that remain silent and invisible?

17 Social Learning

18 How Do We Understand Masculinity?

19 Why do We Keep Men s Emotional Pain Silent and Invisible? Feminist Theories (e.g., Chodorow, Kimmel) Social Learning Theories (e.g., Pleck, O Neil, Levant) Social Constructionist Theories (e.g., Connell, Bamberg)

20 Self- Reliance Norms

21 Stoicism Rationality Decisiveness Norms

22 Normative Silence and Invisibility

23 The Silence and Invisibility Project year old men who have experienced a significant life event (e.g., loss, divorce, illness) in the past year No compensation for participation. Will they come? Qualitative Methods / Discursively Informed Thematic Analysis How are silence and invisibility navigated in men s lives, and in the interview process?

24 Cloudy Visibility Interviewer: So who does know about how what you ve been dealing with and the things that have been coming up? Chad: Well I think that, you know, my parents have an idea and my wife does. And it s because I don t dwell on it. I don t know if they know to what extent it bothers me.so they know that I m not like thriving, I don t know if they know how much sleep I lose over it, or anything like that.

25 You know, I think that I think that that social norm for women is a little bit healthier.i think, because you just guys will kind of roll our eyes and you know Oh jeez here goes the sewing circle and you know, let them talk and we ll go over here and have a beer. But at the same time I mean I think it is therapeutic for them whereas we don t have outlets. And to be honest I haven t really like gone out of my way seeking outlets. I m sure there are probably some I mean if I wanted to I could probably call my friend and say hey, you might think this weird but I really have some stuff I want to talk. They might think it was weird by they wouldn t turn me down. But I just would feel awkward and weird for both of us. And yeah, you just generally don t do it.

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27 It seems to be the case in many disciplines that the more experience and knowledge you gain, the more you realize how little you actually know and this realization can be intimidating -- a cause for second guessing and dread. When you're young and igno.. (SOME FREE ANALYSIS FROM AN OLD HIGH SCHOOL FRIEND) First, keep sharing and talking about what you fell, here on FB, by phone, whatever. Second, you do actually know more about men, male help-seeking, and male depression than 99% of the population. You have something important to say that most people don't know. (SOME CHEERLEADING FROM A COLLEAGUE) I think it's a sign of wisdom and I do agree that you know more about this topic than most people and it's a really important one, so I guess you can see it as a step toward improving humanity!:) (SOME MORE CHEERLEADING AND A REMINDER OF A MORAL OBLIGATION FROM A FORMER STUDENT)

28 Conclusions We must see men as gendered, and at risk for silent suffering because of the way we construct meanings of masculinity Not all men are the same, and no man is the same all the time Change begins at home, as well as in our professional lives