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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/opinion-men-mental-health-1.5871935
Alarming numbers around men's mental health indicate need for national response
Many of our sons, fathers, brothers, husbands and friends are in danger of psycho-social difficulties
Rob Whitley ? for CBC News Opinion ? Posted: Jan 28, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: January 28
This column is an opinion by Rob Whitley, an associate professor of psychiatry at McGill University and a research scientist at the Douglas Research Centre. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.
A growing body of research indicates that a significant number of men and boys are facing substantial psycho-social difficulties, which manifest in a number of worrying statistics involving mental health, addiction and suicide.
To start, males account for more than 75 per cent of suicides in Canada. That's an average of 50 men per week dying by suicide.
Similarly, surveys indicate that Canadian men are around three times more likely to experience addiction and substance abuse compared to Canadian women. This includes alcohol, cannabis, and opioid abuse. Highlighting the scale of the problem, the British Columbia Coroners Service reports that males accounted for 81 per cent of drug overdose deaths in that province in 2020.
Evidence suggests that factors such as educational drop-out, unemployment and loneliness are strong determinants of mental health issues, including suicide and substance abuse. Importantly, these risk factors disproportionately affect men and boys.
Statistics Canada, for example, notes that one in four boys do not graduate from high school on time, a rate significantly higher than girls. Another study found that nearly 9 per cent of men aged 25 to 34 never graduated from high school, almost double the rate of similarly aged women.
Likewise, around four in 10 university students are male, and a lack of post-secondary education leaves people ill-equipped for the new economy. Surveys consistently indicate that men's unemployment rates can be particularly pronounced in certain demographics.
The unemployment rate for 25- to 29-year-old men who are actively seeking work, for example, is twice that of similarly aged women, the second-largest gender gap in all the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
Moreover, there has been a massive decline in traditional blue-collar industries such as manufacturing, fisheries, and the oil and gas sector. This means fewer job opportunities for unskilled workers, particularly in certain rural areas and medium-sized towns across Canada that have little in the way of alternative employment...
Alarming numbers around men's mental health indicate need for national response
Many of our sons, fathers, brothers, husbands and friends are in danger of psycho-social difficulties
Rob Whitley ? for CBC News Opinion ? Posted: Jan 28, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: January 28
This column is an opinion by Rob Whitley, an associate professor of psychiatry at McGill University and a research scientist at the Douglas Research Centre. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.
A growing body of research indicates that a significant number of men and boys are facing substantial psycho-social difficulties, which manifest in a number of worrying statistics involving mental health, addiction and suicide.
To start, males account for more than 75 per cent of suicides in Canada. That's an average of 50 men per week dying by suicide.
Similarly, surveys indicate that Canadian men are around three times more likely to experience addiction and substance abuse compared to Canadian women. This includes alcohol, cannabis, and opioid abuse. Highlighting the scale of the problem, the British Columbia Coroners Service reports that males accounted for 81 per cent of drug overdose deaths in that province in 2020.
Evidence suggests that factors such as educational drop-out, unemployment and loneliness are strong determinants of mental health issues, including suicide and substance abuse. Importantly, these risk factors disproportionately affect men and boys.
Statistics Canada, for example, notes that one in four boys do not graduate from high school on time, a rate significantly higher than girls. Another study found that nearly 9 per cent of men aged 25 to 34 never graduated from high school, almost double the rate of similarly aged women.
Likewise, around four in 10 university students are male, and a lack of post-secondary education leaves people ill-equipped for the new economy. Surveys consistently indicate that men's unemployment rates can be particularly pronounced in certain demographics.
The unemployment rate for 25- to 29-year-old men who are actively seeking work, for example, is twice that of similarly aged women, the second-largest gender gap in all the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
Moreover, there has been a massive decline in traditional blue-collar industries such as manufacturing, fisheries, and the oil and gas sector. This means fewer job opportunities for unskilled workers, particularly in certain rural areas and medium-sized towns across Canada that have little in the way of alternative employment...