Absentism of the male population in mental health care: a narrative review

Abstract

Objective: To understand the main reasons why men do not seek professional help for their mental health complaints. Method: Review of narrative literature, adapted from PRISMA, with search for articles on PubMed, SciELO and others, in the Boolean scheme (man AND mental health) AND (adherence OR services OR risks). Result: There were 5,669 articles, in which 44 met the selection criteria and 15 were directly related to the problem. Via a mind map, results were grouped into five sessions: aspects of mental health in men, hypotheses for low demand, imposition of social rules, characteristics of men who do not seek help, and consequences for men's health from mental health care. Main causes reported for absenteeism were behavioral - since men try not to show weakness and vulnerability. Conclusion: Social issues and a behavioral imperative leads men to distance themselves from assistance services