Men’s Mental Health: Burgeoning Under the Radar
Over six million American men suffer from depression each year. Even more sobering is that many of those cases go undiagnosed and untreated.
Men are less likely to seek out help. It’s widely known that there’s a social stigma against men getting professional attention for mental health and substance use disorders, but they can also present symptoms differently. Men are more likely to report being fatigued, uninterested in work or hobbies, or irritable rather than feeling sad or worthless.
The result of men not receiving the proper diagnoses and treatment can be fatal. Poor or improper access to treatment quite literally kills:
Suicide is the 7th leading cause of death among males
Suicide is also the 2nd leading cause of death among all Americans ages 10-14 and 25-34, and the 3rd leading cause among those aged 15-24. This is clearly a crisis that is growing, not fading.
4x as many men die from suicide as do women (National Institute of Mental Health)
Suicide is particularly high for men 75 or older (more than 42 people per 100,000).
Over 30,000 US military veterans of wars that have taken place since 9/11 have died by suicide. That’s more than 4x the amount who lost their lives in combat or while serving. Most veterans who die by suicide are male (Department of Veterans Affairs).
Depression isn’t the only issue men face. Often, one disorder is coincident with other behavioral health disorders. Roughly 20% of men develop a dependency on alcohol at some point in their life. More than a million men suffer from bipolar disorder. 90% of early (before age 30) schizophrenia diagnoses are among men.
If depression and mental health is a clear issue for men, and we’re under diagnosing and undertreating it, what’s the solution? Expanded access to efficient testing & screening, using artificial intelligence to assist in the monitoring and referral process.
MHT has identified over 20,000 patients with some level of suicidal ideation through our clinical partners who use MHT’s (HIPAA-Compliant) SmarTest™ platform. Our patented AI/ML technology is the quickest way to make current providers (across healthcare specialities) more able and efficient in treating their patients. Before you meet with your doctor, therapist, or even chiropractor, we want clinicians to have an updated and accurate assessment of how your mental health is trending.
Here’s a brief rundown of everything we do for healthcare providers: We send patients assessments, upload results into EHR, notify of high-risk answers and make referrals on your behalf. We also track and upload subsequent test results performed by referred specialists. SmarTest™️ tracks both patient and provider progress and outcomes. For professionals who manage clinics, we help increase your revenue through add-on CPT codes and additional ancillary services, lightening the administrative load and boosting your bottom line.
To learn more about how the MHT service works, you can ask our partners, or contact us here.
Resources:
https://mhanational.org/infographic-mental-health-men
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide
https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/files/cow/imce/papers/2021/Suitt_Suicides_Costs%20of%20War_June%2021%202021.pdf
https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/docs/data-sheets/2022/2022-National-Veteran-Suicide-Prevention-Annual-Report-FINAL-508.pdf