Men are being encouraged to seek help at an early stage if they are suffering from poor mental health.
The call comes ahead of the start of Men's Health Week on Monday, which aims to highlight the issues that recur more commonly in men than others.
Speaking to Newstalk, HSE Senior Health Promotion Officer Finian Murray said that there are a variety of reasons why men might suffer from poor mental health.
Men's Health Week
“It could be getting married or getting separated or having children, coping with the death of a loved one,” he said.
“So, it can vary from man to man and for different stages in a man’s life.
“What we recommend, of course, is that men would seek help when they are beginning to feel stressed or feel difficulty around their mental health.”
The Men's Health Forum in Ireland say that over recent years, their research has highlighted trends that particularly affect Irish men and boys, for example:
- Men continue to die, on average, younger than women do;
- Poor lifestyles (including smoking, drinking, diet and lack of exercise) are responsible for a high proportion of chronic diseases;
- Males have higher death rates than women for almost all of the leading causes of death, and at all ages;
- Men’s mental health needs are often not recognised or met; and
- Late presentation to health services leads to a large number of problems becoming untreatable.
Helplines
If you need urgent help with your mental health, the HSE advises you to call 999 immediately.
Alternatively, you can talk confidentially with your GP or via a free-text HELLO service on 50808 to talk to a trained volunteer.
Main image: A man in despair.
Read more: 'Depression makes you want to hide away in a dark room' - How to spot the signs
