Lack of Role Models and a Culture of Toxic Masculinity are Harming the Mental Health of Young Men

 

Data published by a mental health charity working with young men to coincide with men’s health awareness month shows that ‘toxic masculinity’ is having a negative impact on the mental health of young men and preventing them from seeking help.

 

Out of the young men aged between 14 and 21 who responded to the survey 37% said they were currently experiencing problems with their mental health. Almost half the young men had not spoken to anyone about their problems and out of those who had only 21% were receiving treatment. A further 29% has asked for help but were not receiving treatment.

 

The research was conducted by Stem 4, a charity supporting mental health amongst teenagers as part of their ‘Movember’ focus on the mental health of boys and young men. Data was drawn from a survey of 1100 boys and young men, asking them about their experiences around mental health.

 

The findings show that many of the respondents felt it would be ‘weak’ to ask for help, an impression intensified by ongoing cultural conditioning around masculinity. Responses varied from fearing being seen as ‘weak’ (30%), being worried that people would laugh at them (21%) and being afraid that seeking help would make them ‘feel less masculine” (14%).

 

Dr Nihara Krause, a consultant clinical psychologist and the founder of Stem 4 said: “We live in a culture that puts huge pressure on boys and young men to behave in particular ways, many of them damaging to their mental health. Our survey shows exactly why this is so damaging, with many suffering in silence, even when they’re approaching crisis point. If we’re going to tackle boys and young men’s mental health, we have to address the cultural blind spots to male mental health. It’s also time to start listening properly to boys and men, understand how they express their needs, and provide services that will benefit them” [1].

 

The most common conditions reported by respondents were stress (47%), depression or low mood (33%) and anxiety (27%). Other problems reported include eating disorders (11%), anger and behavioural problems (10%) and self-harm (9%).

 

Worryingly nearly half (46%) of the young men who responded said they wouldn’t seek help even if things ‘got really bad’. Many spoke about the impact of negative portrayals of men in the media and feeling pressured to follow a very tightly circumscribed form of masculine behaviour had on their mental health.

 

One 16-year-old respondent quoted in Mental Health Today said “you say you're OK when you're not, because you're supposed to be a man. And men aren't supposed to have emotions” [2].

 

Only 37% of the young men questioned said they felt able to talk to family members about their mental health, 72% of parents cited in the survey said they would feel uncomfortable talking about mental health issues with their children. Difficulty accessing CAMHS support was also mentioned as a contributing factor.

 

Also quoted in Mental Health Today Dr Nihara Krause said: “We live in a culture that puts huge pressure on boys and young men to behave in particular ways, many of them damaging to their mental health. Our survey shows exactly why this is so damaging, with many suffering in silence, even when they’re approaching crisis point. If we’re going to tackle boys and young men’s mental health, we have to address the cultural blind spots to male mental health. It’s also time to start listening properly to boys and men, understand how they express their needs, and provide services that will benefit them”.

 

A somewhat more simplistic take on the problems of modern masculinity was provided this week by Tory MP Nick Fletcher, who told a Westminster Hall debate that female replacements for film and TV roles traditionally played by men were driving crime and disaffection amongst males.

 

He said: "In recent years we have seen Doctor Who, Ghostbusters, Luke Skywalker, the Equaliser, all replaced by women, and men are left with the Krays and Tommy Shelby” [3].

 

He went on to say:  "Everywhere... there seems to be a call from a tiny, but very vocal, minority that every male character or good role model must have a female replacement”.

 

Mr Fletcher also attacked the use of the term ‘toxic masculinity’ and described International Men’s Day, celebrated on 19^th November as "a rather cruel joke concocted in response to feminism, women's rights and International Women's Day".

His comments drew criticism from fellow MPs, Labour Party Chair Anneliese Dodds said the reasons some young men turned to crime were “far more complex than who should be the next 007”. There was also a strong negative reaction to the comments on social media.

 

This prompted Nick Fletcher to clarify his position later in the day, telling the BBC "I did not link a Dr Who being female to crime being committed by men - in fact, I was making a statement that boys and young men also need positive role models within the media, just as women do."

 

That the comments were made in a debate led by Mr Fletcher with a remit to discuss issues facing males including poor school achievement and mental health is telling. Whether intentionally or through clumsiness they move what should have been a serious debate into the territory of harrumphing about a ‘world gone mad’.

 

This creates a safe space for a certain type of middle- aged, upper middle-class man, mostly living a life sufficiently privileged not to be impacted too much by the tides of social change, where they can express noisy outrage without anything that impacts on them changing too much.

 

Life for younger men who don’t have plum jobs as MPs, as the Stem 4 research shows, is more complicated and a whole lot tougher. Far from providing security being bound into an outdated idea of what it means to be a ‘real man’ does them serious and lasting harm.

 

A more sensible approach is offered by the steps Stem 4 suggest for improving the mental health of boys and young men. These include regular mental health check-ups, making it easier to get help and recognising that a ‘real man’ isn’t always a tough guy so much as one who is able to recognize that asking for help doesn’t make him weak.

 

 

 

 

[1]https://stem4.org.uk/toxic-masculinity-stopping-boys-seeking-mental-health-support-survey-finds/

[2] https://www.mentalhealthtoday.co.uk/news/young-people/is-the-mental-health-of-young-men-being-affected-by-toxic-masculinity?utm_source=https%3a%2f%2fnews.pavpub.com%2fpavilionpublishingandmedialz%2f&utm_medium=GatorMail&utm_campaign=MHT+Ebul+25%2f11%2f21&utm_term=How+does+noise+pollution+affect+our+emotions%3f&utm_content=87360&gator_td=9py4gfcTDZbd60lFfSC%2fcBL%2ftZNkNbXy5zv2ms8Pof2%2bJCi1fHCb3dg7Pjtu%2fSrh0R9Ys81hUnlNcy9RpsAmfLoqI7DHv27onkLAQ2xTsp8C5r5DOQyrAlgHib3v5l0hKhSsFvvhmmC64%2b7GuRTBRQ%3d%3d

[3] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-59421259

 

 

Charity Warns Parks Could Become a Thing of the Past.

 

We all have fond memories of our local park, riding our bike, climbing trees hanging out in the shade of a tree on a summer’s afternoon.

How would it feel if those memories and the chance to pass them on to the next generation were to be under threat?

Fields In Trust, a charity campaigning to protect parks and other green spaces in the UK fear that may be the case and have launched a ParkXtinction campaign in response [1].

The risk to parks in the local area is real and alarming according to data provided by a search tool on the Fields In Trust website.

In Stoke-on-Trent 99.7% of green spaces could be under endangered, in Stafford 99.6% are at risk, Newcastle-under-Lyme fares slightly better with 98.2% of green spaces being at risk, and in Staffordshire Moorlands 98.4% of green spaces are at risk.

A worrying picture of green spaces potentially under threat, made even more alarming by the fact that Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme councils are currently in the process of creating Local Plans for housing that could see more pressure put on green spaces.

On Wednesday evening protesters picketed the meeting of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council held at the Civic Offices in the town to express their concern about the threat to local green spaces including Keele Golf Course.

The evidence provided by Fields In Trust about the extent of the threat to green spaces locally and nationally will only add to their feelings of concern and anger.

Parks and other green spaces play a key role in combating climate change by sequestering carbon, those in the local area capture respectively 2,857 tons (Stoke-on-Trent); 2,622 tons (Staffordshire); 1,479 tons (Newcastle-under-Lyme); and 1,330 tons (Moorlands). (Data provided by Fields In Trust)

Fields in Trust say parks have a vital role to play in how communities respond to the impact of climate change, in a press statement said their campaign aimed to provide “an opportunity to change way we think about how green spaces contribute to climate change mitigation, to our health, our wellbeing, and ultimately our futures.”

Speaking about the importance of parks and other green spaces and the potential harm done by their loss Helen Griffiths, Chief Executive of Fields In Trust told the LocalGov website this week ‘These parks and green spaces are under threat today, from financial and development pressures and it is up to all of us to stem this cycle of disappearance and decline. Our children and grandchildren deserve to have the same green space opportunities that we did, so we need to act today before it’s too late’ [2]

Nationally Fields in trust claim 94% of parks and green spaces could be under threat, describing this as “an area almost twice the size of London which could be lost forever. Unless we act now to protect it”.

Parks have a significant role to play in mitigating the impact of pollution and climate change on urban areas. This includes removing air pollution worth £162.6 million in associated health costs; mitigating against traffic noise; and providing £2.5 billion in recreation spending (2017) [3].

Research carried out for Fields In Trust shows that parks across the UK capture 402,000 tons of carbon, equivalent to taking 320,565 cars off the road each year.

The Fields In Trust data compiled using their Green Space Index shows that 20,000 parks and green spaces in the UK could be at risk. In March the charity entered into a strategic agreement with Liverpool City Council to protect all the city’s parks from development in perpetuity, the first such agreement made in the UK [4].

The charity is calling on local authorities and members of the public to check whether their local park is under threat and to join the campaign to protect them for generations to come.

 

 

 

[1]https://www.fieldsintrust.org/parkxtinction?utm_campaign=624659_Parkxtinction%20ebulletin%20Nov%2021&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Fields%20in%20Trust&dm_i=6LZN,DDZN,1779ZL,1M1GK,1

[2] https://www.localgov.co.uk/Over-20000-green-spaces-on-endangered-list/53275

[3]https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts/bulletins/uknaturalcapital/urbanaccounts

[4] https://www.localgov.co.uk/Liverpool-parks-to-be-protected-forever/52048

 

 

 

Campaign Group to Hold Public Protest to Highlight Threat to Green Spaces.

A campaign group started by residents living near to green spaces threatened with development are to hold a public protest in Newcastle’s Queen’s Gardens.

 

The event will take place on Wednesday 17^th November between 6pm and 8pm and will be hosted by Save Newcastle’s Green Sites.

 

The group was set up earlier this year in response to plans by housing developer Seddon to build on land next to Bradwell Hospital, this will see a wooded area used by local families and dog walkers destroyed.

 

The group have since expanded their remit to cover threatened sites in Chesterton, Apedale and, Wolstanton, they have also worked in partnership with Save Our Green Spaces, who are fighting to save Keele Golf Course and the Stop the Stink: Cap It Off/ Scientific Advisory Committee campaigns started by residents living near to Walley’s Quarry.

 

The event will feature drumming, songs, and poetry by local artists and a ‘surprise act’ yet to be announced.

 

There will also be speakers from the Stoke & Newcastle COP26 Coalition, Stop HS2, Save Our Green Spaces, the Stop the Stink: Cap It Off/ Scientific Advisory Committee, and students from Keele University.

 

There will also be speakers on subjects including the impact of losing green spaces on mental health, clean air and community health, and disability access to green spaces.

 

The local political perspective on protecting green spaces will be provided by speakers from the Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat parties

 

Details of the Save Newcastle’s Green Spaces campaign can be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/SaveNULGreenSites

If People are Worried About Climate Change Why Aren’t Making More Noise?

 

Last weekend as the world leaders gathered in Glasgow for the COP26 summit enjoyed their half-time oranges I joined activists in my hometown of Stoke-on-Trent to call for words to be turned into action.

It was an instructive experience on several levels, none of which left me feeling all that comfortable.

As is the way with such things we stood in the square outside the town hall, a small island of banners and placards being, mostly, ignored by the shoppers rushing around us on the hunt for a bargain.

Later we marched through the town, in one of those ironies life throws up, in the teeth of a freezing rainstorm. One wag noticing out blue hands clutching banners called out “bet you’d welcome some global warming mate”. Boom! Tish!

What was more noticeable was how many people managed to ignore us, even though we were accompanied by someone banging a drum loud enough to be heard in the next county.

We Brits have form when it comes to things like that, however much room an elephant takes up in the drawing room we can easily make ourselves believe it isn’t there. As with Nelly, so with a small, but vocal, peloton of protesters.

In relation to climate change this is surprising though since figures published by the Office for National Statistics this week three quarters of people in the UK are ‘worried’ about climate change [1].

Surveyed in October 75% of adults who responded said they were ‘very worried’ about climate change, with women (79%) reporting being more concerned about the issue than men (72%). The ONS describe the gap as ‘statistically significant’, I bow to their superior knowledge of such things. To me it looks like neither are sleeping easily just now, and with good reason.

Despite the promises being made in Glasgow the Climate Action Tracker backed by scientific institutions from around the world warned this week that the world is 2.4C of warming, surpassing the 1.5C limit nations have committed to.

At the same time the UK’s Meteorological Office warned that a billion people could be impacted is global temperatures rise by 2C above pre-industrial levels.

Speaking to the BBC about the warnings international Director for Greenpeace Jennifer Morgan said "This new calculation is like a telescope trained on an asteroid heading for Earth. It's a devastating report that in any sane world would cause governments in Glasgow to immediately set aside their differences and work with uncompromising vigour for a deal to save our common future [2]”.

So why aren’t more of us screaming if we are all so worried? At the moment much of the public are acting like characters in a B-movie who refuse to see the monster rising from the depths or the saucers swooping down from a clear blue sky. We the activists who try to raise the issue are cast in the role of ‘cranks’ spoiling everyone else’s fun with our pesky concerns.

The fault, I’d suggest, lies at the door of a political climate that has become as damaged as the physical one over the past four decades.

 Shopping has triumphed over politics with many people feeling at a level so deep they don’t consciously recognise it that they have no real agency over their lives. The only role they can play is that of a passive consumer proving their worth through ownership of ever more stuff, every atom of which has been equipped with built in dissatisfaction to keep them keen.

There is a saying that if you put a frog in a pot of water on a stove and turn the heat up slowly enough it won’t notice that its being boiled alive. Applied to a whole planet that moves from metaphor into being the stuff of nightmares.

We are the frog, the water around us is starting to bubble alarmingly, there is, just about, the possibility of our being able to jump out and turn down the gas, if we act now.

The question is are we willing or even capable of opening our eyes and putting down our shopping bags in time to do so?

 

 

 

[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/threequartersofadultsingreatbritainworryaboutclimatechange/2021-11-05

[2] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59220687

 

 

Community Matters More Than Ever as The Post-Pandemic Mental Health Tsunami Builds.

 

North Staffs Green Party have joined mental health charity MIND in calling on the government to invest in community support for mental health.

The call comes as the charity publishes its Together Through Tough Times report [1] on the power of strong communities to support good mental wellbeing written in partnership with the Scottish Association for Mental Health, social justice charity Inspire, and the Co-op.

In the forward to the report MIND and their partners say it is well known that strong communities ‘play a key role in supporting wellbeing, social connection and empowerment to increase people’s resilience – the ability to cope with the ups and downs of life. We wanted to explore how this was manifesting in communities experiencing higher-than-expected wellbeing outcomes based on indicators such as deprivation’.

They go on to say it is their hope that the findings will shed ‘new light on the crucial factors that contribute to community resilience. It also grows our understanding of the link between resilient communities and mental wellbeing – whether that’s about maintaining and improving overall mental wellbeing or creating safe and supportive environments for people to access support for their mental health’.

This, they hope will ‘will shape brand new resilience-based community services and underpin advocacy and campaigning work to secure lasting impact as a result of this partnership’.

The report found that four key factors underpin strong communities when it comes to promoting and maintaining good mental wellbeing. These are a strong sense of identity and belonging, actively making connections within communities, having an open and supportive environment in which to talk about mental health and the existence of community hubs to bring together the community, health services and the voluntary sector.

Amongst its recommendations the report calls for improved funding for promoting mental wellbeing and more support for groups delivering or supporting services on the ground. The report also calls for an overhaul of mental health support for children and young people.

One in four adults in the UK report experiencing a mental health condition every year. In any given week 3 in 100 people will report experiencing depression; 8 in 100 mixed anxiety and depression; and 2 in 100 having phobias. Women are more likely to report having suicidal thoughts, but men are more likely to act on such thoughts if they have them.

The number of people reporting mental health problems rose by 20% between 1993 and 2014, suicide rates have also risen sharply since 2018, particularly amongst men aged under 25. Reported levels of self-harm are also on the rise.

Despite the alarming rise in the number of people reporting mental health problems only 1 in 8 are receiving treatment of any kind, predominantly psychiatric medication [2].

The pandemic has made an already bad situation considerably worse The Royal College of Psychiatrists has highlighted a sharp rise in adults and young people seeking support for their mental health since March 2020. Young people have been particularly badly affected with 80,226 people under 18 being referred to NHS mental health services in England alone between April and December 2020 than in the same period during 2019.

Speaking to the Guardian in April Adrian James, the president of the college said “The extent of the mental health crisis is terrifying, but it will likely get a lot worse before it gets better. Services are at a very real risk of being overrun by the sheer volume of people needing help [3]”.

North Staffs Green Party have written to Gillian Keegan, the Minister of State for Care and Mental Health [4], calling on the government to adopt the recommendations made in the report.

In the letter they say ‘The UK has been through some of the most difficult times in living memory over the past eighteen months. Unsurprisingly this has had a serious impact on our collective mental wellbeing, the government must now act to make promoting good mental health central to its strategy for rebuilding our economy and society’.

A spokesperson said “the impact of the tough times we have all lived through on communities and individuals is painfully clear. The government must now take action to make building resilient communities that promote good mental wellbeing central to its recovery strategy”.

[1]https://www.mind.org.uk/media/9426/togther-through-tough-times-main-report_en.pdf?utm_source=CampaignerEmail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CoopReport_English

[2]https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/statistics-and-facts-about-mental-health/how-common-are-mental-health-problems/#HowCommonAreMentalHealthProblems

[3] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/apr/09/extent-of-mental-health-crisis-in-england-at-terrifying-level

[4] https://www.gov.uk/government/people/gillian-keegan

 

Young People Need Hope That COP26 Will Lead to Meaningful Change Not a Badge to Sew on Their Jumpers.

 

As the COP26 summit in Glasgow nears the end of its first week the focus turns towards young people.

UK Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi is set to announce the introduction of a ‘model science curriculum’ for schools that will support staff to teach young people about nature and their impact on the environment [1].

This will be in place by 2023 and will include a scheme to recognize the efforts of young people to protect the environment modelled on the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Speaking to the BBC Mr. Zahawi said "Empowering teachers in every school to deliver world-leading climate change education will not only raise awareness and understanding of the problem, but also equips young people with the skills and knowledge to build a sustainable future," 

Also speaking to the BBC education leaders stressed the work already being done in schools to educate young people about environmental issues.

James Bowen of the National Association of Head Teachers said a ‘huge amount of good work’ was already being done, Geoff Barton of the Association of School and College Leaders said schools were ‘working very hard’ on climate change issues.

Both though also stressed that more needed to be done by government, James Bowen said there needed to be a ‘coherent national strategy’ in place if the plans are to make any real impact; Geoff Barton said young people want to see ‘more concerted action’ on the environment from policymakers.

In October last year an article published in medical journal The Lancet detailed the impact of climate change on the physical and mental health of young people [2]. This could see conditions including heart disease and anxiety increase dramatically.

Research carried out by the University of Bath and reported in the International Business Times this week shows that out of 10,000 young people from around the world who took part in a survey 77% said they were frightened about the future due to climate change [3].

Nearly half the young people who responded (45%) said the anxiety they felt about climate change was impacting on their daily life, many reported feeling angry and helpless and that the government wasn’t listening to young people on climate change (48%), and that not enough was being done to address the issue (61%).

Dr Liz Marks an academic at Bath University’s Department of Psychology and the co-lead for the project said “It’s shocking to hear how so many young people from around the world feel betrayed by those who are supposed to protect them. Now is the time to face the truth, listen to young people, and take urgent action against climate change” [4].

The scale of anxiety amongst young people about climate change is unprecedented, and with good reason.

Data published by the Stockholm Environment Institute and the Institute for European Environmental Policy this week shows that the emissions of the richest countries could put the possibility of achieving climate goals in doubt [5].

Climate scientists warn there is only a finite amount of greenhouse gasses that can be released into the atmosphere before the planet warms irreversibly, that point is perilously close to being reached.

The guilty parties here aren’t just, reprehensible as they are, billionaires burning up the planet’s resources to play out their childhood dreams of being Buck Rogers. The finger of blame points at everyone in the developed world.

No wonder the young are anxious and angry, they have good grounds for being terrified and furious too. There is, even if we pull our fingers out and do something, an unholy mess coming, one they are going to be tasked with cleaning up.

All of which makes the government’s plans to award badges for being green look at best naive and at worst like a piece of clumsy displacement on the part of a government that clumps around like its got two left feet.

What young people and those of us with a little snow on the roof too want isn’t badges, its action. We want to see signs that our leaders have got the message, the environmental can can’t be kicked any further down the alley. The time for action is now.

What are the chances? Sadly, much smaller than you’d hope. As the private jets with flags painted on their noses take off from Glasgow the horse-trading is about to start, good intentions are likely to get pushed aside by big money.

A jilted generation of young people know that all too well, that is why they’re outside the conference hall with placards, not at home sewing meaningless badges on their jumpers.

 

[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59172936

[2]https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(20)30223-0/fulltext

[3]https://www.ibtimes.com/it-kills-me-inside-activists-sound-alarm-climate-anxiety-3331818

[4]https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/government-inaction-on-climate-change-linked-to-psychological-distress-in-young-people-new-study/

[5] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-59157836

 

 

Campaign Group Launches Competition.

 

A community campaign to protect green spaces in Newcastle-under-Lyme has launched a competition to promote its activities.

Save Newcastle’s Green Sites was set up earlier this year in response to plans cut down trees near to Bradwell Hospital as part of a housing development. Since then, they have taken up the case of other threatened green spaces in the borough.

In a Facebook post launching the competition group member Jessie Mellor writes: ‘Here at Save Newcastle’s Green Sites we are ALL ABOUT our precious Green Spaces, so we have decided to honour them by hosting a three-week competition!’

The competition will run for three weeks with the winner and details of what participants need to do each week published on Mondays.

Week one sees entrants being asked to do one of the following:

• ·     Send us your photo of your local Green Space within Newcastle – Under – Lyme in the comments section (Make sure your entries are on this original post)
• ·       Like @savenewcastlesgreensites Facebook page
• ·       Like & share this post
• ·       Tag a friend in the comment section

Anyone taking part will be able to enter the competition once each week with entries closing at midnight on Sunday.

In the Facebook Post announcing the competition Jessie Mellor writes that every week ‘One lucky winner will be selected to win the photoshoot of their four-legged friends at a local Green Space of their choice within Newcastle- Under- Lyme. The prize can be gifted. (Just in time for Christmas)’.

The competition will run until 21^st November, full details can be found on the Save Newcastle’s Green Sites Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SaveNULGreenSites