Men Less Likely to Seek Help for Depression

A recent study takes an in-depth look at the utilization of mental health services.

Statistics show that more than half the people in Ontario who reported that they had major depression did not seek physician-based mental health services the following year.

"It's concerning to us that many Ontarians with mental health needs are not accessing clinician-based care," said Katherine Smith, the lead author and epidemiologist in the Centre for Research on Inner City Health of St. Michael's Hospital, via a press release. "Some people may seek non-medical types of support or care, such as clergy, alternative medicine, psychologists or social workers. But we don't know for sure, so the gap remains of concern."

The study examined OHIP data from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences

Background information from the study notes that as many as one in four suffer from depression at some point in their lives. This can greatly affect the quality of life and may be associated with increased disability and lower productivity at work. Previous research also shows that women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression.

Smith hoped to investigate the role that gender plays in making health care decisions. In general, the study notes that women use mental health services an estimated 10 percent more often than men.

Findings also showed that more than half or 55.3 percent of people in Ontario with self-reported major depression had no contact with physicians for mental health reasons in the following year. Yet Smith believes that additional research is needed to attain a better grasp of why this is.

Smith states that some ethnic groups may be uncomfortable with admitting a need to seek mental health services due to cultural stigmas and therefore, may forego treatment all together. On the same note, men may be more likely to forego treatment than women when it comes to minor health concerns or mental health issues.

However, the results showed only a small gender gap among those with depression, marking five percentage points. Women were slightly more likely than men to see a primary care provider regarding their depression at 30.4 percent vs. 24.6 percent. However, there was little gender difference in who sought specialized care.

However, the study noted significant gender differences among those with major depression: 21 percent of women and 13 percent of men had a mental health visit, a gender gap of 8 percentage points.

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Health.