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Experts Warn England’s Men’s Health Strategy Overlooks Younger High‑Risk Men

The evidence used to shape the plan skews toward older white respondents, leaving gaps for men least likely to seek help.

Overview

  • The Department of Health and Social Care published its Men’s Health strategic vision on 17 November, highlighting mental health and suicide prevention as core priorities.
  • The call for evidence drew 6,591 submissions, with 79% from people aged 45–84, 94% identifying as white, and only 6% under 35.
  • Official data show men aged 25–44 have a suicide rate of 20.5 per 100,000 and are among the least likely to use formal support, a group clinicians say is under-represented in the strategy’s evidence.
  • The report documents barriers such as difficulty getting appointments, long waits, uncertainty navigating services, discomfort discussing mental health, and only 32% knowing where to go in a crisis.
  • Clinicians and Flow Neuroscience urge broader private, home-based and non‑drug options, citing a small Leicestershire pilot of an at‑home brain‑stimulation pathway that reportedly cut suicidal thoughts by about two‑thirds, with DHSC yet to comment.