National Men's Health Week 2006
A preview of this year's national health week which focuses
on men and mental health.
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Men's Health Week
John Litchfield
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From the 12-18th of June the fifth National Men’s Health Week
(NHMW) will take place.
Organised by the Men’s Health Forum (MHF), previous weeks
have looked at male health problems such as weight, cancer and
sexual health, but this year will be focussing primarily on the
subject of men and mental wellbeing.
Research has shown that at any given time, one in six adults
has a mental health problem and around a quarter of all GP
consultations are for issues relating to mental health.
The MHF will be using this year’s week to improve awareness
of such problems as men are typically less likely to seek
medical or psychological professional help than women.
Over the week, all aspects of mental health will be
addressed, from suicide, 75% of all suicides in the UK are by
men, to more common issues such as dealing with stress and
anxiety.
The Men’s Health Forum was founded in 1994 and became a
registered charity in 2001.
In previous years the Forum has used NMHW to help create
permanently available resources, such as guides, reports and
manuals. The Forum was actively involved in the development of
the
Haynes’ HGV Man manual, a guide to weight management
specifically directed at men, published in the style of a car
maintenance manual. This year they will be working towards the
publication of the Haynes’ Brain Manual. This time it will be
designed in the style of a computer manual, geared towards
helping to raise men’s awareness of mental health and improve
mental wellbeing.
There will also be a conference held at London’s Wembley
Conference Centre on the 14th of June where there will be over
sixty speakers and various workshops covering all aspects of
male mental health.
Further Information
For more information on the work of the Men’s Health Forum
and for the latest news on the National Men’s Health Week.
www.menshealthforum.org.uk
The NHF also run a sister site full of information on all
aspects of male health, from illness to exercise.
www.malehealth.co.uk |
