Why aren’t men going to therapy? The statistics show that men receive lower rates of diagnoses and treatment for mental illness in comparison to women while also having a higher rate of deaths related to mental illness. Stereotypes of self-reliance and traditional masculinity have conditioned many men into believing seeking help is a sign of weakness instead of a method of getting mentally stronger.
Experts have done thorough research on the underlying reasons as to what makes men so reluctant to seek help. Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas, president and co-founder of United Suicide Survivors International, has spent time interviewing at-risk men about what makes therapy so daunting for them. The complex stigma surrounding men’s mental health is explained with more depth in the New York Times article linked here (opens in a new window).
