Province Article: Men, Masculinity, & Depression.
Stoic’ men less likely to seek help for depression: UBC study
Men are three times as likely to commit suicide as women, yet only half as likely to seek help for depression.
Photograph by: PNG file photo, iStockphoto
Men’s perceptions and ideals about masculinity may hold the key to understanding why they are at least three times more likely to die by suicide than women, according to a study by two researchers at the University of British Columbia.
After analyzing interviews with 38 men with a history of depression from Vancouver and Prince George, UBC researchers John Oliffe and John Ogrodniczuk found that men who adopt the “stoic warrior” ideal of manhood — characterized by seeming indifference to emotions — may be at higher risk of dying by suicide.
Their study is set to be published in the journal Social Science & Medicine, the most cited social science journal in the world.
Ogrodniczuk says the “stoic warrior” model of masculinity can lead depressed men to shut down and look for an escape from life. In these cases, he says, study participants chose to mute their feelings, disconnect from others, and were more likely to turn to alcohol and drugs.
Though twice as many women are diagnosed with depression as men, men are far more likely to die by suicide, with men aged 20 to 29 at highest risk. Statistics Canada reports that in 2003, the last year for which data is available, more than 2,900 men committed suicide.
“Instead of finding respite from their emotional, mental and physical pain, self-harm emerged as the most common outcome of these actions,” says Ogrodniczuk, an associate professor in UBC’s Department of Psychiatry.
But there is hope. The investigators found that the “protector” ideal of masculinity, characterized by strong commitment to family and loved ones, was the best predictor that men would turn away from suicide, knowing the pain and trauma it would cause others.
“Here, men’s strong sense of masculine roles and responsibility as a provider and protector enables men to hold on while seeking support to regain some self-control,” says lead author Oliffe, an associate professor in the School of Nursing.
The study suggests that “men can best counter suicidal thoughts by connecting with others – namely intimate partners and family – to regain some stability and to secure emotional support from others.”
“Support from friends and connecting to other things including spirituality is often the conduit to men seeking professional help to overcome the suicidal thoughts that can accompany severe depression” Oliffe says.
SUICIDE RESOURCES IN B.C.
Phone numbers
1-800-SUICIDE
BC Nurse Line: 1-866-215-4700 (TTY deaf/hearing impaired number: 1-866-889-4700)
BC Mental Health Information Line: 1-800-661-2121
BC Alcohol and Drug Service: 1-800-663-1441
Griefworks BC: 1-877-234-3322
Suicide Attempt Follow-up, Education and Research: 604-879-9251
Vancouver Crisis Centre: 1-866-661-3311
Websites
Booklets
Two available at: http://www.carmha.ca
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