In the spotlight today
Hon Peter Dunne's Address on Men's Mental Health – 2010-03-17 12:34:20.475
Hon Peter Dunne
Associate Minister of Health
Opening address to the Promoting Mental health and Well-being In Men symposium
Copthorne Hotel, Masterton,
9am, Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Key Points:
- “Men are more than three times more likely than women to die by suicide. In 2007… 370 of the 483 people who took their own lives in New Zealand were men.”
- More than a third of men are likely to experience some kind of diagnosable mental health problem at some point in their life.
- “We have a lot of angry men in this country… They can be loud. They can be difficult to deal with. Sometimes they can be their own worst enemies. Why? Because that anger makes them too easy to dismiss.”
- “’They’re angry, they’re bitter, they’re woman-haters, they’re nutters.’ I am sure you have heard it all before… I think we need to listen to these men more.”
- “I do not see this as a ‘men versus women’ situation. In fact, my experience is that the vast majority of women recognise that there are areas where men do not and have not got a fair go…”
Good morning. At the outset I would like to thank, Wairarapa DHB and in particular, Barry Taylor, for creating this important opportunity for all of us to come together today to consider and discuss the important issue of men’s health and in particular men’s mental health.
One of the reasons that it is important is that we as a society do not talk about men’s health and men’s mental health enough.
This event has come about as part of the Suicide Prevention Coordinator Pilot that is currently being undertaken at Wairarapa DHB – one of five pilot sites around the country set up to implement the national suicide prevention strategy at a community level.
No area, no group, no element of society is immune to the individual, personal and family tragedy that is suicide, and the Wairarapa is no exception.
In this district, men, and particularly those aged 25 to 54 and over 65 years, are the ones most likely to die by suicide.
This is not surprising.
It fits with the facts as we know them across New Zealand.
Men are more than three times more likely than women to die by suicide.
In 2007, the year for which we have the most recent suicide statistics, 370 of the 483 people who took their own lives in New Zealand were men.
It is sad facts such as this that led to the establishment of the two-year Wairarapa Men’s Mental Health Promotion Project, of which this symposium is a part.
So today’s proceedings are actually a unique and exciting event, in that it is only men who are involved.
This should create a dynamic and focused environment for us, as men, to really grapple with the issues that affect our well-being and the ways we can take responsibility for our own health.
I understand that many of you have come here from outside the Wairarapa which will allow you to have a look at key issues from a national perspective, as well as a local view.
In opening proceedings today, I would like to set the scene by talking a little about what we already know about men’s mental health and the factors that affect it.
More than a third of men are likely to experience some kind of diagnosable mental health problem at some point in their life.
Close to one in five will experience an anxiety disorder, depression or alcohol abuse over their lifetime.
We are most likely to experience these kinds of problems between the ages of 25 and 44.
These mental health problems can stop us from functioning in important areas of our lives – they can make it difficult for us to be the kind of worker, father, partner, son or mate that we would like to be.
There are lots of external factors that make it more likely for people to experience poor mental health.
These often include stressful life events, such as relationship break ups, legal and financial problems and loss of employment.
While these stressful events affect the well-being of both men and women, they may impact on men in different ways.
Being a worker and provider is an important source of pride and identify for many men.
It is part of who we are.
When there are financial problems, we feel especially responsible for keeping the family going.
Losing a job not only creates money problems, but can create a sense of failure and the loss of self-esteem that goes with that.
And of course, in times of economic recession such as those we are in today, there are more and more people facing these very issues.
Then there are the kinds of issues that are more likely to affect men living in rural areas like the Wairarapa.
Rural living can be rewarding but it also has its own difficulties and stresses.
Working on farms can involve stress because of the factors that are outside the farmer’s control like bad weather, droughts, and downturns in markets for agricultural products.
How these external factors affect men’s well-being also depends on how we try to cope with them; what tools we have at our disposal, and often what support we have around us.
Unfortunately, men seem to be more likely than women to try and cope by turning to alcohol and drugs.
Men are more than twice as likely as women to develop a substance use disorder at some point in their life.
Life’s answers will never be found in a bottle, or in any drug.
They are simply a recipe for making your problems worse.
There are many simple and tangible things that we as men can do to manage stresses and maintain our own well-being.
At the most basic level these include making sure we look after ourselves by eating healthily, getting enough sleep and exercise.
It is simple, basic stuff, but it helps and it works.
We need to make time to relax and have fun with our friends and family.
We know that having a network of friends and family as well as at least one or two close and supportive relationships is important for our mental health.
As men, we need to ensure we make time to develop and engage in these networks and relationships.
Or put more bluntly and simply.
We need mates.
Good mates.
Another thing that we men can do when we are having difficulties is ask for help.
Generally, we are not good at this.
It can go against the grain for a man to admit his vulnerability – and that applies to Kiwi men in particular, where a certain stoicism has always been regarded as a male strength.
We have needed to break that mould and to an extent we have.
We need to get better at it.
This can involve asking those around us for practical help or talking about our worries with people we trust.
It can involve learning to recognise the early signs of stress, depression and anxiety.
It can involve recognising that we have problems with alcohol, drugs and gambling.
Seeking help by visiting a GP or support service can be a vital first step in dealing with these issues.
The trouble is though that we, as men, don’t always look after ourselves as well as we should.
For example, we know that men are significantly less likely than women to visit a GP in a 12-month period when they have a health issue.
If asked why, they are much more likely than women to say that they didn’t go because they couldn’t be bothered; didn’t want to make a fuss; or couldn’t spare the time.
We need to get better at taking responsibility for our health, not just for our own sakes, but for our loved ones.
By looking after our own well-being, we also contribute to the good mental health of our families.
The best thing we can do for our families is to really step up as partners and fathers.
As men, we need to really value our place in our families.
We have to understand just how important our place in our families is; just how irreplaceable we are to our kids, and how we can be good partners.
When men fully live that, they will benefit themselves and their families.
The reality is, however, that it’s not always easy and it’s not always straightforward.
I want to spend a few minutes this morning touching on some of the more difficult realities faced by men in New Zealand – and perhaps it will be a sensitive issue in this room today, as much as it is in wider New Zealand.
We have a lot of angry men in this country.
They tend to be men who are very hurt, often coming out of relationship break-ups in which they feel they have been unfairly treated – particularly in areas such as custody of children and child support.
Chief Family Court Judge Peter Boshier last year – to his very real credit – addressed the tragedy that 18 people involved in Family Court proceedings had killed themselves in a 12-month period to June last year.
Add to that four homicides.
Three-quarters of those were involved in disputes over their children.
In short, too many men feel they are not getting a fair go, particularly in Family Court proceedings.
They can be loud.
They can be difficult to deal with.
Sometimes they can be their own worst enemies.
Why?
Because that anger makes them too easy to dismiss.
‘They’re angry, they’re bitter, they’re woman-haters, they’re nutters’.
I am sure you have heard it all before.
And yes, they are too easy to dismiss.
But as a society, we do so at our peril.
Also – and we should remember this – to do so is simply not fair.
I think we need to listen to these men more.
We need to actually take a hard look at why they are angry and hurt, and not just say ‘you’re angry; go away’.
That has not happened enough in society or in government.
Over the last two years I have working on a review of aspects of the Child Support system.
I know I have been vilified by many men’s groups because I have not clicked my fingers and resolved all their problems overnight.
I do not for one minute diminish, nor do I underestimate the depth of their feelings and their anxieties.
But, in part because of the image of the angry men I referred to a moment or two ago, this is an area in which I am discovering the need to tread carefully in developing viable solutions.
My commitment to resolving the issues remains undimmed, however, and the issue remains a high priority for me.
In coming here today and speaking on how men can help themselves, we perhaps need to acknowledge where men need to be heard, listened to and respected by society and by government.
I do not see this as a ‘men versus women’ situation.
In fact, my experience is that the vast majority of women recognise that there are areas where men do not and have not got a fair go, and they would like that remedied.
Contrary to various ‘gender wars’ theories, the vast majority of women actually like the men in their lives and care for them and want the best for them.
Over recent decades, much has been done to advance the causes and promote the interests of women.
And that work has been so important and remains so.
No one wants the pendulum to swing back the other way, but just to the middle perhaps.
That will start with events like today.
It will start when we realise that men have their own particular and equally valid concerns.
It starts young.
Our boys are falling behind our girls in educational achievement.
That needs addressing.
Our men are less healthy than our women.
They have specific mental health concerns.
They kill themselves more often than women.
We need to talk about all these things and increase the amount of action around them.
The Ministry of Health funds an important national programme to encourage people experiencing depression to seek help so they can get the treatment and support they need.
This is called the National Depression Initiative.
You probably know it as ‘those TV ads with John Kirwan’.
On a side note, I think we owe John Kirwan a great deal for making it ok to recognise the difficulties that we – as men in particular – can get into, and for making it ok to get help.
The campaign was launched in late 2006 and includes a website and helpline offering more information and support.
The campaign has been very well received by a wide range of people, but evaluation has shown that it has been particularly successful in reaching men, with men having a 92% recall of the ads.
Also nearly half of callers to the helpline have been men and in the last six months that has risen to 58% of callers.
For anyone with involvement in social change campaigns, these are impressive figures.
Men generally do not call helplines.
This is breakthrough stuff.
The campaign has encouraged men with symptoms of depression to get help by visiting their primary health service.
The numbers of new diagnoses of anxiety and depression have increased since the campaign began and GPs tell us that for the first time, significant numbers of men are visiting them to talk about depression.
In June, the campaign moves into a new phase, called ‘The Journal’.
This is an online self-management tool for people with depression based on a form of cognitive behavioural therapy called problem solving therapy.
The tool will feature video clips from JK having conversations with three mental health professionals.
It will focus on staying positive, lifestyle changes and problem solving.
JK will act as a kind of personal coach to the user.
People using the programme will also have access to support by text, phone or online.
Another recent initiative by the Ministry of Health has been the new brochure called “Coping with Financial Stress: Looking after yourself and your family/whanau during tough economic times”.
The brochure provides practical advice for coping with stress, solving problems, and looking after family during financial hardship.
It outlines the symptoms of depression and anxiety, and directs readers to support services if they need them.
The resource is being promoted for distribution in Work and Income service centres, GP practices, NGOs and Public Health Units and is available free of charge from the Ministry of Health’s website.
The Government is also taking steps to increase the amount of help that is available in the community for people with mild to moderate mental health and substance use disorders.
Eighty primary health organisations around the country have now established primary mental health services.
Common elements of these programmes include extended GP consultations, individualised packages of care and dedicated primary mental health practitioners who are often nurses with a mental health background.
Packages of care may involve talking therapies with a counsellor or psychologist or may be simply putting the person in touch with other community service providers.
This initiative is ensuring that more people are receiving the right help when they go to their GP with a mental health problem, which is a great result.
I understand that most of the people here today are men who work to promote the mental and physical well-being of others.
So an important focus of this symposium is what can be done at a local level health and what social support services can do to better help men through difficult times.
I strongly encourage you to make the most of these two days to engage in open and constructive discussion about what we all can do to promote good mental health and well-being in men.
We are worth it – and men everywhere need to believe that.
Ends.
Mark Stewart | Press Secretary | Office of Hon Peter Dunne
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