High risk groups under-represented in Men’s Health Strategy

A high risk group for suicide and untreated mental illness are under-represented in the government’s Men’s Health Strategy, according to a neuroscience tech firm.

The Department of Health and Social Care’s report ‘Men’s health: A strategic vision for England‘, published on 17 November, sets out action to tackle barriers to care for me, with an emphasis on mental health.

Men aged 25–44 have a suicide risk of 20.5 deaths per 100,000 and are the age group are least likely to seek formal support.

However, 79% of respondents to the government’s call for evidence, based on 6,591 submissions gathered during a 12-week evidence call launched in April 2025, were aged between 45 and 84.

Also 94% of respondents identified as white, and only 6% were under 35.

Dr Kultar Singh Garcha, a GP and chief medical officer at Flow Neuroscience, which supplies brain stimulation-based depression treatment, says that the evidence collected does not fully reflect the experiences of the men most likely to face serious risk.

“This imbalance matters. The strategy tells us about the men who chose to take part, but younger men, the group most affected by suicide and untreated mental illness, are barely represented.

“When more than half of men say they avoided seeking help, we also need to think about the men who never enter the system at all,” Dr Garcha said.

The report identifies several reasons men avoid or delay seeking care. Many respondents described difficulties accessing appointments, long waiting lists, and uncertainty about how to navigate the system.

Others said they felt uncomfortable discussing mental health with a clinician or had struggled with medication in the past and only 32% said that they knew where to go during a mental health crisis.

“Services continue to be built around men coming forward, even though the report shows many simply do not.

“Traditional models hinge on in-person appointments, long referral chains, and medication-led care, despite these being the very factors men cite as barriers.

“We cannot expect different outcomes if we keep offering the same routes into care.

“Men need options that don’t depend on navigating long waits or feeling comfortable in clinical environments. The strategy should recognise that,” Dr Garcha said.

He called for more safe non-drug options for men and safer routes into treatments.

Earlier this year, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust piloted an at-home brain-stimulation pathway for adults with depression, using Flow Neuroscience’s device.

Clinicians involved in the pilot reported that the number of people having thoughts of suicide reduced by two-thirds while having stronger engagement, and fewer drop-outs, especially among men who had previously avoided treatment.

Dr Garcha said that the pilot shows that men’s engagement in mental health support improves when support is “private, flexible, and available at home”

Digital Health News contacted DHSC for comment.