“I am unable to sleep, eat or even just have any peace at all in my life . I can sense very strong palpitations in my heart and my hands shiver all the time. I have just lost all my confidence and feel so worthless. So many times I have considered ending my life. My wife delivered our first child 15days ago and I haven’t even seen my baby yet. Everything seems so futile…………” And this 32 years old Software Engineer working in a multinational company just completely broke down and cried his heart out.
This sight left me numb with pain and worry. Though as a psychologist we are taught that one of are important principles of counseling is controlled involvement with the client, yet at such times it becomes very difficult to know where to draw the line.
Recent years have seen increasing concern for men’s health, including mental health and wellbeing. There is growing recognition of the prevalence and implications of depression among men. Although women have higher overall rates of depression, it is frequently unrecognized, undiagnosed, and untreated among men.
Depression and anxiety are among the main causes of disease and disability . It is anticipated that by 2030 depressive disorders will become the number one cause of ill health and premature death world-wide. This in turn will directly impact the productivity of the workforce.
However, traditional masculine norms and the stigma associated with mental illness promote a culture whereby men are reluctant to acknowledge or seek help for mental health problems. Although there is a higher prevalence of depression amongst women in the general population, men have lower levels of mental health literacy than women and are less likely to visit their doctor, use mental health services and discuss mental health issues. Given the significant costs associated with mental illness, more and more men are reluctant to invest in their mental wellness. Correspondingly, adverse consequences associated with poor mental health can be more severe among men, such as suicide.
Workplace factors can also contribute to poor mental health among men. Employment can promote wellbeing by providing regular activity, time structure, social contact, a sense of collective effort, and social identity However, the workplace can also be a source of psychological stress that can negatively affect employee mental health .
Male-dominated industries (i.e., those comprising >70% men) may be particularly problematic in this regard. Established risk factors for mental illness are commonly found in these industries, and include isolated/solitary work, excessive or irregular workloads, poor physical conditions, lack of control, and monotonous tasks . Given the potential impact of working conditions upon mental health, workplace health promotion programs and interventions are increasingly being implemented to prevent/minimize the emergence of problems and support workers with mental health issues. Such workplace programs are particularly relevant for mental health promotion targeting men.
The workplace provides ready access to large numbers of men and contains existing infrastructure and frameworks that can support mental health and wellbeing strategies. In addition, addressing mental health issues as part of wider occupational health, safety and wellbeing programs may create workplace norms that reduce stigma and facilitate help-seeking. Workplace programs can also target other barriers to mental health help-seeking behavior such as low levels of mental health literacy . Moreover, the workplace offers an opportunity to develop tailored strategies that target specific high risk industries and occupations.
Such tailored strategies may be particularly beneficial for workers in male-dominated industries, due to the high prevalence of mental health problems in combination with low mental health literacy and a reluctance to seek help. While research is limited, there is some evidence that interventions in male-dominated industries can have a positive impact on the mental health of workers, particularly for high prevalence low severity disorders such as depression .
However, the development of tailored workplace strategies for men is hampered by a lack of prevalence data identifying high-risk workforce groups. While prevalence rates for depression are known to vary across different occupations and industries , it is not clear whether rates of these disorders are consistently elevated in workforce groups where men predominate.
A better understanding of the prevalence of depression in industries and occupations with a high proportion of men could inform the development of appropriate policies and tailored workplace mental health interventions. However, to date, no research has systematically examined the prevalence rates of common mental disorders, such as depression, amongst male workers employed in male-dominated workforce groups.
A couple of years ago we psychologists had lead an agitation and insisted that every school must have at least one Psychologist available in the campus. Similarly, now the time has come for us to demand at least one Psychologist available in the campus for every Corporate.
If companies can have medical doctors on the campus, then why not have “Dimag ka Doctor”?