From the Telegraph Newspaper

'A crisis of masculinity': men are struggling to cope with life

A report by the mental health charity CALM has found that men are struggling to cope with the pressures and expectations of their personal and professional lives

Suicide is now the single biggest cause of death in men aged 20–49 in England and Wales Photo: Alamy

By Telegraph Men

7:00AM GMT 19 Nov 2014

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There is a crisis in modern masculinity, with men struggling to deal with pressures in their personal and professional lives, according to a report by the mental health charity CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably).

The report, published to coincide with International Men's Day (November 19), seeks to address the reasons why male suicide rates in Britain are at a 15-year high (around 4,500 last year). Suicide is now the single biggest cause of death in men aged 20-49 in England and Wales, with males accounting for 78 per cent of all suicides in the UK. Female suicide rates, in comparison, are declining.

The CALM report, A Crisis in Modern Masculinity: Understanding the Causes of Male Suicide, analysed the pressures and expectations that men and women face in their daily lives, and concluded that men are failing to cope, as well as keeping their problems hidden from others.

Roughly half of all the 1,000 men and women surveyed said they had experienced some form of depression, yet women were much more likely to seek help or confide in a friend. 74pc of women who had suffered depression said they had spoken to someone about it, while only 53pc of males had done so. 69pc of men who had suffered depression said they preferred to deal with the problem themselves.

When it came to work, 42pc of men said they felt pressure to be the main breadwinner in the family, compared to just 13pc of females. Of those surveyed, men were much more likely to have lost their jobs previously (54pc compared to 35pc of females) and to have lost their job more than once (25 pc compared to 10pc of women). 29pc of men believed their partner would think they were "less of a man" if they lost their job.

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When asked about relationships, around three in 10 men felt that they personally lacked qualities and abilities that sexual or romantic partners look for in a man.
Men were also much more likely than women to have indulged in risky behaviour in the past three months - 73pc compared to 58pc of women.
Men also felt additional pressure to remain strong during times of crisis. Around 42pc of male respondants said they believe a man is "mostly responsible" for being emotionally strong and taking charge in a crisis, compared to around 17pc of women.
Speaking of the findings, CALM's chief executive Jane Powell said: “The research underlines that so often their own worst enemies, men need new rules for survival. Outmoded, incorrect and misplaced male self-beliefs are proving lethal and the traditional strong, silent response to adversity is increasingly failing to protect men from themselves.
"Men need to talk before they hit a wall in a crisis or feel they are at the end of the road," she added. "The normality of women freely discussing their troubles is undoubtedly a factor in declining rates of female suicide and underlines the need for a gender-based strategy in suicide prevention. So far, Government and society has failed to act on this self-inflicted yet preventable slaughter of our husbands, partners, brothers and sons.”