Topic Tuesday // Is mental health more challenging for men? // 20 June, 7pm AEST

Wow @Shaz51 I'm sorry to hear that.

I've rarely experienced as much empathy or support from a male psychologist, although I know that many are very good.

I am also far less comfortable (or able) to express my feelings or struggles to a fellow male.

I've made the most progress & have felt best able to express myself, to a woman (female) psychologist.

I did see a male Jungian Analyst (Clincal Psychologist) many years ago - he was very good & empathetic.

@Shaz51 @soul The number of unhelpful mental health professionals out there is a whooooooole other topic! I am certain that Mr Shaz's attitude of giving up after psychologist take-three is painfully common.

Welcome @Phoenix_Rising 🙂

Yes, that’s definitely one of the factors that contribute to the high stats of male suicide for sure. It’s one of the most common contributors for mental health issues being such a challenge that some males in our community don’t reach out soon enough…that is true. There are services out there that can be of support. The important thing is to make a choice. Things may not be ideal but with your mental health, as it would be with physical health, it’s important to make a conscious choice that you’ll do whatever it takes to see things get better. We can’t always control what’s going on around us...but we can control our choices to reach out for support.

@Former-Member I think there is possibly a "barrier within the help itself" in terms of gender biases regarding diagnosis. For example, a psychologist told me once that if I was male, I would most likely have been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder rather than BPD. This makes me wonder how many men with BPD have erroneously been diagnosed with APD.

Do you think that the type of help needs to be addressed? My partner had seen at least six different practitioners but seems to be doing better attending men's support groups. The last doctor told him that he didn't have BPD because if he did, he wouldn't know or admit to it.

I still however get the feeling he doesn't open up completely because he doesn't want to look too bad in front of the others. So there's still that male pride thing happening.

Hi @Former-Member, you're raising one of my pet peeves about how schools aren't really set up to bring out the best in boys. All that sitting down for starters! I wonder if the mental health system might be the same in some ways.