Men’s Mental Health Services: The Case for a Masculinities Model

Abstract

It is well understood that men are reticent in seeking help for mental health concerns. In the wake of government-funded campaigns across many Western nations that have sought to address this, noticeably absent have been the active development, promotion, dissemination, and rigorous evaluation of male-centered treatment styles. We argue that next-generation approaches must actively counteract unhelpful stereotypes, instead promoting diverse and healthy masculinities. The current article makes the case for the development of a masculinities model of mental health care, offering recommendations to advance clinical practice and research toward this goal. We propose that updated help-seeking campaigns and clinician training, gender-sensitive service provision, and comprehensive cost analyses will provide the groundwork for such a model to better target the diversity in men and reduce any reluctance to engage with mental health treatment.