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People get a lot of things wrong about men’s mental health. And these misconceptions are only causing harm for the men who are suffering.

So with Movember on this month – a campaign to raise awareness and funds for men’s health – it’s time to set fact from fiction.

We’re debunking the top myths around men’s mental health that are doing a grave disservice to men, everywhere.

MYTH 1: Most male suicide is linked to depression

Many people know the alarmingly high rates of male suicide.

If you didn’t, men are – on average – three times more likely to take their own lives than women.

But did you know that most male suicides are not linked to a mental health diagnosis?

While nearly half (46.5%) of female suicides are correlated with clinical depression, fewer than a third of male suicides (32.8%) are linked to this mental disorder.

So what are the reasons behind the crisis that is male suicide? While men simply not being diagnosed could play a factor, most male suicides are linked to various distressing life events, including:

• Relationship separation (28.3%)
• Financial problems (17%)
• Relationship conflict (15.7%)
• Bereavement (12.3%)
• Recent or pending unemployment (10.5%)
• Familial conflict (9.5%)
• Pending legal matters (9%)

MYTH 2: Men are horrible at getting help

Bottling up their emotions. Unable to open up and reach out for help.

This is the typical narrative we hear around men’s mental health.

And there may be some truth in this. We know that girls are two times more likely than boys to access formal support through school, online support, health services and helplines.

On top of this, girls are more likely to seek informal support from friends, parents and teachers.

So what’s the catch? Well, according to the Australia Bureau of Statistics, men – as adults – aren’t actually as bad at getting help.

Here are some stats that might surprise you:

• The number of men with mental disorders who visit a psychologist is almost identical to women:1% for men and 13.2% for women
• The proportion of women with a mental disorder who don’t access help is only slightly higher than that of men:8% for women and 13.2% for men
• More women than men (with mental disorders) say they aren’t getting the help they need: 9% for women and 25.2% for men

MYTH 3: Men don’t have many positive coping strategies

We’ve already busted the myth that men don’t reach out for help that much.

But another tale that’s often told? Men with depression don’t have enough coping strategies.

This is far from true.

In fact, here are the top strategies men use to keep themselves feeling okay (that don’t involve talking):

1. Eating healthy food (54.2% do this regularly)
2. Keeping busy (50.1%)
3. Exercising (44.9%)
4. Using humour to reframe thoughts and feelings (41.1%)
5. Doing something to help another person (35.7%)
6. Spending time with a pet (34.8%)
7. Accepting sad feelings (This too shall pass’) (32.7%)
8. Achieving something (big or small) (31%)
9. Hanging out with positive people (30.8%)
10. Distracting themselves from negative thoughts and feelings (30.5%)

MYTH 4: Girls have more mental health issues than boys

With the common assumption that girls are more proactive and vocal about their mental health struggles, comes the myth that girls have more mental health issues than boys.

But the statistics tell a different story.

In 2019, the Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing found that boys (aged 4 to 17) were more likely to experience mental disorders than girls. There was a bigger discrepancy in children aged 4 to 11 (16.5% for boys and 10.6% of girls) than in children aged 12 to 17 (15.9% of boys and 12.8% of girls).

It’s more complex than a mere comparison though. Boys have more of a tendency to ’act out’. They often behave more boisterously than girls, externalising their problems.

Girls, on the other hand, often present as more withdrawn, speaking to their tendency to internalise.

We can see this pattern reflected in mental health disorders in children:

• Boys comprise 72.1% of children with ADHD
• Boys comprise 62.7% of children with Conduct Disorders
• Girls represent around 75% of reported self-harm
• Girls represent around 70% of reported suicidal thinking

So as we can see, it’s more nuanced than a simple compare and contrast.

MYTH 5: Only mothers experience postnatal depression

We’ve come so far in opening up the conversation around postnatal depression for mothers – and ensuring women receive the support they need.

But when it comes to new fathers? The conversation falls mute. We fail to provide the same amount of proactive care to new dads that we do to mums. And this is a missed opportunity to engage men in conversations about mental wellbeing.

That’s why people like Mark Williams, an international expert on paternal mental health, has called for all new dads to be screened (like mums are). Mark also launched the #HowAreYouDad campaign to start the dialogue on this important – yet overlooked – topic.

Because it goes beyond new fathers getting the support they need. Associate Professor at the University of Newcastle, Richard Fletcher, says that a dad’s mental health impacts children and mothers too.

Not having adequate partner support is a risk factor for maternal depression. Research also shows that a child with a depressed father is three times more likely to suffer behaviour problems than a child with a healthy father– and has twice the chance of a psychiatric diagnosis at seven years old.

So when we support dads, we benefit everyone. It’s a win-win.

What myth are you sick of hearing about men’s mental health?