Last month the Men's Depression and Suicide Network released a small portion of an Intensions Consulting study exploring the levels of public awareness and stigma surrounding men's depression and suicide in Canada. The team at Intensions are proud to contribute our expertise and assistance to this important Movember funded mental health project. If you would like to read the original article you can click here, otherwise a copy is provided below:
A national survey has found that almost one quarter of Canadian men surveyed have considered or attempted suicide, and almost half of them have a close male family member or friend diagnosed or treated for depression. The study, by the University of British Columbia’s Men’s Depression and Suicide Network, found low levels of stigma toward others who experience mental health difficulties, but that many men hold negative attitudes about having a mental illness themselves. The survey sampled 901 English-speaking Canadian adults aged 18 to 83.
“These findings show us that a lot of guys hang onto paralyzing negative attitudes about being depressed themselves,” said the network’s co-director Dr. John Ogrodniczuk. “This points to the need for more interventions and programs to help men overcome the difficulty they experience in getting help from a health-care professional.”
Some Survey Highlights
- 23% of Canadian men surveyed have been diagnosed or treated for depression.
- 23% of Canadian men surveyed have considered or attempted suicide.
- 26% of Canadian adults surveyed have a close male family member or friend who has discussed or attempted suicide in the past 10 years.
- 46% of Canadian adults surveyed have a close male family member or friend who has been diagnosed or treated for depression in the past 10 years.
About the Study
These are the findings of a survey conducted by Intensions Consulting between August 29 and September 11, 2014 on behalf of the Men’s Depression and Suicide Network. For this survey, a sample of 901 English-speaking Canadian adults aged 18 to 83 from an online panel were interviewed. The sample was stratified and weightings were employed to balance demographics, ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the Canadian population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. While sampling error cannot be estimated for non-probability samples such as the sample used to conduct this survey, a traditional unweighted probability sample of comparable size would have produced results considered accurate to within plus or minus 4.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
About the Men's Depression & Suicide Network
In 2013, Movember, a global fundraising movement to raise awareness of men’s health issues, funded the Men’s Depression and Suicide Network. This partnership includes ongoing research and evaluation of how network programs and initiatives are influencing public awareness of male depression and suicide. The Men’s Depression and Suicide Network currently has five projects underway, all with the aim of improving the mental health and wellbeing of men (and their families) of differing ages and life stages. The network’s co-directors are UBC professors John Ogrodniczuk and John Oliffe.