VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – One in five Canadian men will experience a mental health issue this year, but how many will actually get help for it?

News1130 concludes a week-long Movember series on men’s health with a look at a topic few guys are willing to talk about: their feelings.

“That hormone that makes men masculine — testosterone — tends to blind men, to risks in their lives,” explains UBC Urologist Dr. Richard Wassersug.

It’s those masculine tendencies that also make us reluctant to talk about what bothers us or seek professional help.

Wassersug says male mental health is a vastly under-treated area of medicine. “Women, if they’re feeling truly depressed, will go to doctors… patients in general don’t go to doctors… Male patients don’t go to doctors, typically in a timely fashion.”

He adds while statistics show women may attempt suicide more often, “men achieve it more often than women.”

“If you’re supposed to be a man and be tough and tough it out and not complain, then the severity of mental health problems… can become catastrophic, reaching points of suicide and so forth,” warns Wassersug.

Depression affects 840,000 Canadian men every year; 2,800 commit suicide.

News1130 is helping raise money for men’s health. Check out the 2012 Movember team.

Source: http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/424816–looking-at-the-importance-of-men-s-mental-health

A Note From Leanne: If you ever get to the point of suicidal thoughts, PLEASE call someone. Reach out to anyone who you think would listen, and that includes me, even if we haven’t met yet!