Barriers to Help-Seeking in Suicidal Men: A Systematic Literature Review

Background: The incidence of suicide in the United Kingdom is at its lowest since 1981 though the number remainscatastrophic (Office for National Statistics, 2018). In particular, high rates of male suicidality causes a level ofcontroversy, suggesting inadequate health service provisions and on an individual level, poor help-seeking (Macdonald,2011; Möller-Leimkühler, 2003). Research has suggested that two thirds of males who had died by suicide had not beenin contact with a mental health service (Luoma, Martin & Pearson, 2002; Owens, Booth, Briscoe, Lawrence & Lloyd,2003). Studies have also identified the homogenous difficulties males experience when accessing the required care forsuicidal ideation (Foster & Wu, 2002). The current review aimed to provide an overview of the research in this area,pertaining to the barriers to help-seeking in men experiencing suicidal ideation.Methods: A systematic literature review was performed on Web of Science and PsychInfo using truncations of the terms(help-seek*, behaviour*, suicid*, male*).Results: Of the 522 articles identified 7 papers were eligible for review. All of the papers provided qualitative findings. Asynthesis of the data identified four reoccurring themes: masculinity, stigma, self-medicating and mislabelling pathologyand four sub themes: social humiliation and self-humiliation, incorrect identification and false rejections by clinicians.The current literature, though entirely qualitative and somewhat homogeneous, revealed that males with suicidalitywhen help-seeking experience specific barriers.Conclusion: Although the available literature has provided themes for study on how self and societal appraisals mayimpact help-seeking behaviours in males, comparative quantitative and longitudinal studies are required imminentlyto increase understanding and approach this health crisis effectively.