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Taking Care of Your Mind

Health includes physical, mental and social well-being at all stages of life.

Men in Canada face distinct health challenges, including shorter life expectancy (80 years compared to 84 years in women). They also experience higher rates of:

• premature death
• suicide
• substance use and related harms (70% of opioid-related deaths nationwide)
• some sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, such as gonorrhea and infectious syphilis
• some chronic diseases such as diabetes and ischemic heart disease
• gambling problems

Figure 1: Descriptive text

An image with two silhouettes and text. On the top of the image, there is text saying "as of 2024". Under the male silhouette, the text reads "80.0 years (male)". Under the female silhouette, the text reads "84.3 years (female)."

Mental health of men and boys

Young men aged 15 to 24 show concerning trends in their self-rated mental health and rates of mental illness. For instance, between 2012 and 2022:

• the percentage who reported "very good" or "excellent" mental health fell from 70% to 52%
• the percentage who experienced:
  • mood disorders increased from11% to 16%
  • generalized anxiety disorder increased from 4% to 10%

Men are also less likely to engage with primary care or access preventive services, including health screening, with 65% of Canadian men waiting more than six days with symptoms before visiting the doctor.

These differences are not simply biological. Social, economic and cultural factors also play a major role in shaping health outcomes. For example, men are more likely to have lower education levels, and experience higher rates of incarceration and homelessness than women.

Structural, social and economic influences on health

There is a growing body of evidence on how gender, along with other social determinants of health, influence risk factors and health outcomes. Additionally, some groups of men face greater health challenges, such as men who are:

• Indigenous
• part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community
• Black or from other racialized groups

Some groups of men in Canada are at higher risk of suicide, including men who are:

• veterans
• Indigenous
• part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community
• in the criminal justice system or incarcerated
• lacking access to supportive relationships or sense of community

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