It’s hard not to see the pattern by now.

Men sought mental health care at rates five times higher than usual during the pandemic, demonstrating a clear willingness to engage when circumstances make seeking help feel necessary.

Yet by 2021, only 40% of men with a reported mental illness received mental health services, compared with 52% of women.

The gap isn’t about men refusing help. Just under half of general practitioners report that male patients frequently seek help for mental health concerns.

When men do present for care, though, they often exhibit symptom patterns that differ from what our standard screening tools and treatment models anticipate. The question then becomes: are we recognizing what we’re seeing, and are we offering interventions that match how men actually engage?

Movember offers something beyond awareness campaigns. It functions as a large-scale proof of concept for engagement strategies that demonstrate efficacy with male populations. The principles that drive its success translate directly into clinical practice—and they function equally well in July as they do in November.

Recognition starts with knowing what to look for

Depression and anxiety in male patients frequently present through irritability, anger, physical complaints, increased risk-taking behavior, or changes in substance use patterns rather than classical sadness and withdrawal.

The challenge lies in how our standard screening instruments weigh these presentations.

Consider the most troubling statistic from recent research: over 60% of men who died by suicide had accessed mental health care in the previous year.

These patients engaged with the healthcare system. They showed up to appointments. Yet something in the assessment, diagnosis, or treatment approach missed the severity of their condition or failed to match them with interventions that achieved therapeutic benefit.

You may find value in expanding the criteria you screen for during mental health assessments.

Alongside traditional depression and anxiety indicators, questions about irritability, anger episodes, physical symptoms without clear medical etiology, sleep disruption, and behavioral changes can capture presentations that standard instruments miss.

The timing of these conversations matters as well.

Men may respond more openly to mental health screening during routine physicals or when they’re already discussing a physical complaint than during standalone mental health appointments. The clinical context shapes whether they’ll engage with the questions you’re asking.

Meeting men where they are yields better outcomes than expecting adaptation

Movember-supported programs like the MindFit Toolkit, YBMen Project, and Rooted and Rising Collective achieve engagement rates that outperform traditional clinical models.

The common thread: they embed mental health support in familiar contexts—sports leagues, workplace programs, community organizations—rather than requiring men to seek out standalone mental health services.

This approach prioritizes prevention and early intervention over crisis response.

Rather than waiting for symptoms to reach clinical thresholds requiring treatment, these programs address mental health as an ongoing aspect of wellness. Men participate at higher rates because the barrier of “going to therapy” gets replaced with accessing support through existing routines and social structures.

The clinical translation doesn’t require abandoning evidence-based therapeutic approaches.

Rather, it suggests expanding the entry points and intervention formats we offer. You know your patient population best. The question becomes: what would gender-sensitive care look like in your specific practice context?

What you might consider implementing

For screening and assessment:

You may find value in supplementing standard depression screening with questions specifically targeting male-typical presentations.

Adding items about irritability (“Do you find yourself getting angry or frustrated more easily than usual?”), physical symptoms (“Have you noticed more headaches, muscle tension, or digestive issues?”), and behavioral changes (“Are you sleeping less, working more, or taking more risks than you typically would?”) can capture concerns that PHQ-9 or GAD-7 might miss.

Some practices have reported success implementing a framework for front desk staff, triage/intake teams, and other front-line staff to recognize these presentation patterns during check-in or vital signs assessment.

When a patient mentions sleep problems, increased work stress, or relationship conflicts to a medical assistant, that information can prompt more targeted questioning during the clinical encounter.

Timing your mental health screening during appointments the patient already considers routine—annual physicals, follow-ups for chronic conditions, sports physicals—may help to reduce the stigma some men associate with dedicated mental health visits.

For treatment approaches:

Consider whether your current treatment options match how male patients tend to engage.

For those who don’t respond to therapy or simply don’t follow through with referrals, you might explore group programs structured around shared activities with mental health support embedded within them.

This differs from traditional process-oriented group therapy. Consider programs more similar to men’s wellness groups that incorporate stress management skills during discussion of practical topics like work, relationships, or physical health.

Brief, solution-focused approaches often resonate with male patients who prefer specific strategies they can implement rather than open-ended exploration of emotional content (citation needed).

Framing mental health treatment in terms of building skills, improving functioning, or addressing specific problems (sleep quality, energy levels, concentration, relationship communication) can make intervention feel more concrete and actionable.

Multiple entry points help as well. Some patients respond well to direct inquiries about their emotional state. Others open up more during side-by-side activities or when discussing mental health in the context of physical symptoms they’re already concerned about. Matching your approach to the individual patient’s communication style increases the likelihood they’ll engage honestly.

For your communication approach:

Collaborative language generally yields better outcomes than directive prescriptions for most patients. This becomes particularly important with male patients who may harbor ambivalence about mental health treatment. Phrasing such as “You know yourself best—here are approaches that demonstrate efficacy for many men in similar situations” or “Let’s determine what might fit your schedule and preferences” acknowledges their expertise about their own lives while providing professional guidance.

Connecting mental health to outcomes that your male patients already value can increase engagement. Many men prioritize their performance at work, their role as partners or fathers, their physical health, or their ability to manage stress effectively. Frame any given intervention or treatment in terms of functional gains rather than symptom reduction alone.

Normalizing mental health concerns by citing their prevalence among men can also reduce stigma. Research demonstrates that reported rates of mental illness among men aged 30-34 rose by 85% over the past decade. Understanding they’re not alone in these struggles makes seeking help feel less like personal failure and more like a common health concern worth addressing.

For creating accessible pathways:

Practical barriers prevent treatment engagement as often as psychological ones. Consider what you can control: appointment scheduling, telehealth availability, clear explanation of insurance coverage and costs, straightforward referral processes.

Each barrier you remove increases the likelihood a patient follows through with recommendations. Some practices have found success offering early morning or evening appointments specifically for patients who cannot easily take time off work. Others provide telehealth options that remove travel time and waiting room concerns. Making Employee Assistance Program access or insurance navigation straightforward removes decision-making friction when a patient is already struggling.

You might also consider connecting patients with peer support resources and community programs that employ engagement strategies similar to Movember’s approach. These complement rather than replace clinical treatment, providing ongoing support between appointments.

From November to year-round practice

Movember demonstrates that men engage with mental health support when approached appropriately. The 85% increase in reported mental illness among men aged 30-34, combined with the 40% treatment rate, represents significant opportunity for providers willing to adapt their assessment and intervention approaches.

The clinical skills you already possess function effectively. Gender-sensitive care adds nuance to when you screen, what you assess, how you frame treatment, and what intervention formats you offer. It means meeting patients where they are rather than expecting them to adapt to a single model of care.

The gap between men seeking help and men receiving effective treatment closes when we recognize how they present and match them with interventions that fit how they actually engage.

Recognition is the first step; effective intervention is the next. Discover how menMD and Evitalin partner with providers to deliver the comprehensive care that men actually engage with.

Editor’s Note: It’s always helpful to share the contact information of relevant communities so patients or those you know so that they always feel they have a lifeline. Should they be dealing with a mental health crisis, they can always contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. For more information about men’s mental health resources, visit movember.com.