Male Depression: Barriers to Help-Seeking in Adult Men in Chile
Abstract
Annually, one out of every ten men in Chile presents symptoms of depression; however, men rarely reach out for mental health services. They represent only 16.2% of those treated for depression in the public primary health care system. The objective of this study was to analyze the narrative construction of male depression in adults and the barriers to seeking help. A qualitative study was conducted using personal narrative to explore the depressive processes in the lives of the interviewees, focusing on the barriers that they encountered when seeking mental healthcare. The results show that they faced substantial barriers such as institutional ones related to health services. They also reported obstacles connected with notions of masculinity, including a hard time recognizing depression and its symptoms, feeling that the values of masculinity were put under strain, and general stigma. Finally, some implications for mental health policies are discussed.
Keywords
Masculinities, Depression, Male depression, Men’s HealthReferences
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