
Women are proportionally more likely to seek help than men — because, Professor Freeman tells Bustle, of "men’s reluctance to admit to “unmasculine” feelings or experience." "We can never... know exactly how many men are not reporting psychological problems," he said.
Full Answer
Are men less likely to seek mental health help than women?
Men much less likely to seek mental health help than women. More than a quarter of men surveyed admitted they had not sought medical help for a mental health problem. Men are far less likely to seek medical support for a mental health problem than women, new figures reveal.
Are men and women differently attracted to health care?
Studies show, women are more likely than men to seek out health care. The result of forgoing routine health care is just what you might suspect; limited care is one factor contributing to serious diagnoses and shorter life spans for men.
Are women more likely to consult than men?
argue against the most widely accepted explanations for gender differences in consulting, namely that, once illness is recognised, women are more likely to consult than men (p98).3
Are men less likely to see a doctor than women?
And the majority of specialists – 66% – are men. For patients, the stereotype runs thus: men are less aware of health problems than women, less attuned to symptoms and they don’t visit the doctor as often as women. In other words, men are silent stoics; women hysterical hypochondriacs.

Are women more likely to seek therapy than men?
Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Science also found that women tend to seek out mental health services months earlier than men.
Why is depression more common in females than males?
After puberty, depression rates are higher in females than in males. Because girls typically reach puberty before boys do, they're more likely to develop depression at an earlier age than boys are. There is evidence to suggest that this depression gender gap may continue throughout the lifespan.
Which gender is more likely to anxiety?
Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, and the prevalence of anxiety disorders is significantly higher for women (23.4 percent) than men (14.3 percent).
Who has more feelings a man and a woman?
Research has suggested that women express emotions more frequently than men on average. Multiple researchers have found that women cry more frequently, and for longer durations than men at similar ages. The gender differences appear to peak in the most fertile years.
Why do men take longer to become addicted to drugs than women?
Because of the general body composition of men and their metabolism, it tends to take more of a drug or alcohol to lead to intoxication. As a result, men tend to take longer to develop addiction to substances than women do.
Which is more likely to develop addiction or substance abuse problems: men or women?
Men are more likely to develop addiction or substance abuse problems than women. Men are more likely to develop a severe addiction disorder, more likely to exhibit co-occurring antisocial personality disorder, and have more occurrences of abuse of more than one substance.
Why is aftercare important?
Because of this, aftercare may be more important in helping solidify relapse prevention tools and skills for men to help them transition from treatment back to daily life.
What can be included in treatment programs for both men and women to discourage relapse and bolster motivation and self answer?
Programs like sober housing, Contingency Management , and other motivational techniques can be included in treatment programs for both men and women to discourage relapse and bolster motivation and self-confidence in the ability to resist cravings and triggers. Vs.
How much more likely are men to relapse after a drug treatment?
In addition, some studies have shown that men are more likely to relapse after treatment (32 percent ) than women (22 percent), as reported by NIDA. This may indicate that the treatment model for men might need some adjustment to help achieve lower rates of relapse.
Why do men use drugs?
According to Psych Central, men are more likely to use drugs to enhance positive moods, satisfy pleasure-seeking, or cope with problems in social situations or behavior. They’re also more likely to have a co-occurring antisocial personality disorder; however, it is not certain whether or not this increases the risk of drug use.
What are the most common drugs that men use?
More Typical Drugs of Abuse. According to information from Harvard Medical School, men are more likely to use alcohol and nicotine. They are equally as likely as women to use stimulants, more likely to smoke marijuana on a daily basis, and more likely to engage in binge drinking.
How long do men wait between doctor visits?
Men are twice as likely to wait more than two years between doctor visits. In fact, for all the reasons listed above and more, more than 40% of men don’t go to the doctor at all unless they have a serious issue on their hands.
When is Men's Health Month?
Since June is Men’s Health Month, we are doing a blog series on health-related topics specific to men. Check back on our blog weekly to stay updated on men’s health and don’t forget to schedule a check-up!
Is it bad to wait for a diagnosis?
Unfortunately, waiting on symptoms to become acutely painful or otherwise unavoidable is not a good health plan.
Is gender more likely to inform?
As it turns out, your gender is likely to inform which (if any) action you take next. Studies show, women are more likely than men to seek out health care. The result of forgoing routine health care is just what you might suspect; limited care is one factor contributing to serious diagnoses and shorter life spans for men.
What does it mean when a man says "I haven't been to a doctor in years"?
When a man brags, ‘I haven't been to a doctor in years’, he is simultaneously describing a health practice and situating himself in a masculine arena (p1389).12
How many papers are there on gender and headache?
Extensive electronic searches identified 15 papers reporting the relationship between gender and help-seeking for back pain and 11 papers for headache. Two independent reviewers assessed articles for inclusion and extracted data from eligible studies.
Is under usage a social problem?
As men's ‘under-usage’ of the health care system is constructed as a social problem, there is a danger that a contrasting presumption that women ‘overuse’ health care, consulting sooner and more often, sometimes for trivial symptoms which are self-limiting or amenable to self-management, is reinforced.11
Do men seek help from health professionals?
It has been suggested that there is a ‘large body of empirical research support[ing] the popular belief that men are reluctant to seek help from health professionals’ (p5).18There is indeed plenty of evidence from qualitative research suggesting that men do commonly vocalize a reluctance to seek help with symptoms of ill-health. However, most of this research is based on male-only samples and so cannot compare men's and women's discussions of their help-seeking behaviours), and some more recent studies8,19have begun to highlight important exceptions to this common view.10
Do men consult more than women?
The widespread assumption that men consult more readily than women needs to empirically challenged and verified, refuted or refined if best use is to be made of valuable health care resources. With this in mind, we have undertaken a review of literature (using systematic methods) on gender and consultation for two symptoms (back pain and headache). These symptoms were selected because: they are common within the population and account for a significant work load within health services; they are physically and socially disruptive for the individual, but rarely are an indication of serious life-threatening conditions. By reviewing the literature on consultation for headache and back pain, among people who have reported that they have these symptoms, we are able to examine studies that compared the proportions of men and women who were users or non-users of health care for headache and back pain.
How can practitioners learn to improve the success of their practice?
Practitioners can learn to improve the success of their practice by taking the gender of clients into account
Do men and women deal with stress?
There is some evidence that men and women deal with stress in different ways; for example, a meta-analysis found that women prefer to focus on emotions as a coping strategy more than men do. However, sex differences in preferences for therapy is a subject little explored.
Do men and women show differences in therapy?
This study demonstrates that men and women show significant differences in some aspects of therapy, coping behaviour, and help-seeking
How many women are given CPR?
The research, funded by the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health, found that only 39% of women who have a cardiac arrest in a public place were given CPR, versus 45% of men.
How long did it take Kaye Sedgwick Jones to get diagnosed?
It took Kaye Sedgwick Jones, a freelance illustrator and designer from Kent, more than 12 years to be diagnosed. In pain and seeking help, she was told by one doctor: “‘It’ll be better when you’ve had a baby’ ... which, when you’re 13, is a weird thing to be told,” she says.
How long does it take to get diagnosed with endometriosis?
One in 10 women suffer from the disease, but it takes, on average, seven to eight years to be diagnosed.
Is gender bias an epidemic?
For Buckley, gender bias in healthcare is an epidemic that needs to be addressed: “People are dying because they are female and doctors are blinded by their gender,” she says. “Don’t assume that women are hysterical. That’s quite basic. Treat everyone as a person.”. Topics.
Is there a shortage of women being discriminated against in medicine?
Race and poverty also feed into bias in healthcare – both huge topics in their own rights. But there is no shortage of ways in which women are discriminated against in medicine.
Do women with dementia get worse treatment?
In 2016, researchers at University College London found that women with dementia receive worse medical treatment than men with the condition.
Is there a shortage of women in medicine?
But there is no shortage of ways in which women are discriminated against in medicine. This is evident throughout history, from Aristotle’s distinction between the superior male “form” and inferior female “matter”, to the medieval idea that women (“ leaky vessels ”) were unbalanced due to their wombs.
Why do women go to the emergency room?
For example, a study found that women who go to the emergency room because of abdominal pain -- not related to pregnancy or a known injury -- were less likely to get pain meds or opiates and waited longer to get the meds.
Which autoimmune disease is more common in women?
Autoimmune diseases: Many autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and thyroid disorders , are more common in women. Overall, 75% of Americans with autoimmune diseases are women, and it takes a person with an autoimmune disease an average of 4.6 years and five doctors before getting a correct diagnosis.
How did Genevieve Murphy solve the mystery of her persistent abdominal pain?
Genevieve Murphy solved the mystery of her persistent abdominal pain by keeping a food diary.
Do women have more pain than men?
Pain: Women have a lot more trouble than men do in getting pain taken seriously, whatever the cause. For example, a study found that women who go to the emergency room because of abdominal pain -- not related to pregnancy or a known injury -- were less likely to get pain meds or opiates and waited longer to get the meds. And a report called “The Girl Who Cried Pain” found that women are not only less likely to receive aggressive treatment when diagnosed with pain, they’re also more likely to have their pain dismissed as “emotional” or “not real.”
Can a heart attack cause fatigue in women?
For example, while chest pain is the most commonly reported symptom of a heart attack in men, women typically also report subtler signs such as fatigue, indigestion, shortness of breath, and pain in the neck, jaw, or arms. Women and their doctors alike are more likely to attribute these symptoms to other causes, like stress or the flu.
Is it difficult to diagnose gynecological symptoms in women?
It’s a woman thing. Some doctors tend to assume difficult-to-diagnose symptoms in women must have a gynecological cause, and they miss other possible conditions that may be causing them.
How does culture affect mental health?
It impacts certain ideas and behaviors and directly relates to the meaning that people attach to their illness. Culture also affects whether people seek help, what type of help they seek, and their coping style and support. Social norms guide socially acceptable behavior and form the framework that guides how people experiencing mental illness internalize public attitudes that may lead to embarrassment and shame. For example, mental health illness is considered a taboo topic in the Black community. Those experiencing mental health issues are often considered weak, broken, and not strong enough. In fairness, the Black community has been the casualty of the medical industry, dating back to the Tuskegee experiment where many African American men were misled into being injected with syphilis when they thought they were receiving free health care. Hence, distrust of the health-care system still exists. As a result, you may see that those ascribing to the Black culture may find it difficult to accept a mental health problem or diagnosis and seek help. Because of culture stigma, underrepresented persons are left to find mental health treatment and support alone, if at all. Because cultural influences have an impact on perceptions of mental health, understanding the role of culture in mental illness is important in developing strategic initiatives to improve the negative effects of mental health illness.
Should mental health providers review the APA Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men?
Mental health providers should review the APA Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men(2018) to explore the complexity of masculinity and work with males.
