CIHR: Helping men deal with mental health issues through collaboration

September 28, 2018

Dr. John Oliffe, the founder and lead of the Men’s Health Research program at the University of British Columbia, has found that divorce, job loss, and post-traumatic stress disorder have significant impacts on the mental health of men. However, many men are reluctant to acknowledge these problems and resist traditional mental health care for fear of others seeing them as weak for needing help. These issues help explain the high suicide rate among men.

Dr. Oliffe‘s work is meant to help resolve these problems in a number of ways.

“Our interventions are definitely about mental health, but we never name it as mental health,” he said. “We just work to get men to connect and work through their challenges.”

In 2011, Dr. Oliffe launched the CIHR-funded Web 2.0 as a knowledge dissemination strategy to de-stigmatize men’s depression and provide resources for self-management (such as downloadable brochures and videos). With funding from Movember, it evolved into Heads Up Guys, an interactive website that helps men fight depression through tips, tools, information about professional services, and testimonials from men and their families.

“This site is led by Dr. John Ogrodniczuk, a professor and Director of the Psychotherapy Program at UBC,” said Dr. Oliffe. “I was part of the team and John has recently received more than $100,000 in donations from people who would like to see it continue beyond the Movember funding.”

Thanks to funding from CIHR, Movember, and the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation, Dr. Oliffe also helped further develop the Downtown Urban Knights Defending Equality and Solidarity (DUDES) club in Vancouver, West Moberly, Smithers, and Prince George.

“Created in 2010 by Dr. Paul Gross, this club offers a safe space for Indigenous men,” he explained. “Along with getting a haircut and sharing a meal, participants come into this area on a regular basis to connect with one another regarding an array of issues, including their vulnerabilities and mental health challenges.”

In the future, Dr. Oliffe would like to see these mental health programs expand through support and education.

“I hope that the men’s mental health research field moves forward in a way that supports some of the rising stars brokering these community-based men’s interventions,” he said. “By highlighting these interventions in the classroom, I am also able to show students how effective research processes and products are connected and guide clinical services.”

Dr. Cara Tannenbaum, Scientific Director of CIHR’s Institute of Gender and Health, recognizes how Dr. Oliffe’s work will be beneficial to the psychological well-being of men in the long-term.

“His advanced research could remove the social isolation men experience when they face depression,” said Dr. Tannenbaum. “And that will, no doubt, lead to a decreased male suicide rate.”

Associated links

CIHR Institute of Gender and Health

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