COVID-19’s impact on Maryland men’s mental health

Men’s Health Week, taking place June 14-20 this year, is celebrated annually during the week leading up to Father’s Day. Its purpose is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.

This year Men’s Health Week is even more important than ever given the havoc the pandemic has wreaked on both the mental and physical health of men across the nation, according to the men’s health experts at Vault Health.

“COVID-19 has not been kind to men. COVID-related deaths occur more often among men than women, despite a similar number of cases. In addition, one study revealed that mortality rates for men 65 and older are almost twice as high as for women, and investigations of COVID-19 hospital admissions found that men are also three times as likely as women to be admitted to ICUs,” said Dr. Martin Miner, Regional Medical Director of Vault Health.

The inequity in COVID-19 patient outcomes highlights a crucial fact—men live sicker, explained Dr. Miner.

To gain a better understanding of the pandemic-induced mental health issues affecting men, Vault Health surveyed 2,000 US men, ages 25 to 65, to assess various aspects of their mental health during the past year. Highlights from the survey include:

>> MENtal Health: COVID’s Negative Impacts Aren’t Limited to Women.
While studies have shown that women have been struggling with mental health more during the pandemic than men, a whopping 75% of men surveyed stated that their stress levels increased during the pandemic. In addition, 23% of men reported feelings of depression spurred by the pandemic.

>> Increase in Substance Abuse Among Men Due to COVID-19.
Roughly one-fourth of men (24.6%) reported consuming alcohol more frequently or in larger quantities than they did prior to the pandemic.

>> Male Relationships Have Suffered a ‘Crises of Connection.’
About two-fifths (37.7%) of men felt that COVID-19 has had a negative impact on their relationship with their intimate partner. To make matters worse, 42% of men said they don’t have a close male friend they can discuss personal issues with, and another 27% said they did have a close male friend prior to COVID but that they didn’t remain in regular contact after the shutdowns went into effect.

>> Financial Stress Due to the COVID-Fueled Economic Downturn.
Half of the men (51.2%) reported at least moderate financial stress due to COVID-19, while 10% of men reported severe financial stress due to the pandemic.

>> Social Isolation Leading to Suicidal Thoughts.
According to the survey, 59% of men have felt isolated on at least a somewhat regular basis over the past 12 months. And perhaps more terrifying is that 9% of men said they’ve thought about suicide at least once during the past year.

For men, it can be more difficult to recognize as they tend to resort to more unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with it. “They may exhibit depression by being more irritable, isolated, or withdrawn. Work hours may extend much longer than usual or they may resort to using alcohol as a method of managing it,” says Dr. Miner.

For more Information, go to vaulthealth.com.