Under Pressure: The Mental Health Crisis Facing Men in the UK
- Strength and Rituals
- Jul 28
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 30
In the UK today, more men than ever are struggling with their mental health, and many are doing it in silence. From quiet anxiety to the devastating toll of suicide, the mental health crisis among British men is deep, complex, and still often misunderstood. But the data is clear: men are under pressure, and it’s time we started talking about it.
At Strength and Rituals, we believe mental wellbeing is not just a clinical concern, it’s a daily practice. And to change the story for men, we need to understand the truth of what they’re facing.
The Numbers Behind the Crisis
According to the latest data from the NHS and the Office for National Statistics, around 1 in 6 men in the UK now experiences a common mental health condition such as anxiety or depression. That’s a significant rise over the past decade, especially among younger men.
While men are still statistically less likely than women to report mental illness, this gap hides a darker reality: three-quarters of suicides in the UK are by men, and suicide remains the leading cause of death for men under 50.
What does that tell us? It tells us that men may be suffering in ways that don't always fit into a diagnosis. That symptoms may go unspoken, unrecognised, or unacknowledged until it’s too late.
Who Is Most at Risk?
Mental health affects all men, but the risks and challenges vary depending on age, ethnicity, and location.
1. Middle-Aged Men in Working-Class Communities
Men aged 40 to 49 have consistently had the highest suicide rates in the UK. Many of these men live in post-industrial regions such as the North West, North East, and parts of Wales and Scotland areas hit hard by economic decline, unemployment, and lack of access to mental health services.
For men in these communities, pressure builds silently: the responsibility to provide, the fear of failing, the absence of emotional outlets. Often, by the time they reach crisis point, support systems are stretched thin or unavailable.
2. Young Men Navigating a Digital World
Mental health conditions are rising fastest in men aged 16–30. While young women still report higher levels of anxiety and depression, young men are showing sharp increases in self-harm, low self-esteem, and emotional burnout.
Much of this is shaped by digital culture. Social media, online comparison, pornography, and performance pressure create a storm of mental noise that many young men are not equipped to manage.
3. Men from Minority Backgrounds
While rates of depression and anxiety among ethnic minority men appear similar to White British men in surveys, the lived experience tells a different story.
Black men are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia, and are disproportionately detained under the Mental Health Act. Cultural stigma, lack of representation in therapy, and experiences of racism and microaggressions all play a role.
Mental health support needs to be culturally intelligent, accessible, and proactive to make a difference.
Why Men Struggle to Seek Help
Only 36% of NHS talking therapy referrals are for men, despite making up nearly half the population.
Why?
Because asking for help still feels like failure to many men. Society may have started to talk more openly about mental health, but the expectation that men should be strong, silent, and self-reliant still runs deep.
This leads to dangerous delays in support, men often wait until their situation becomes critical before reaching out. And when they do, services may not be equipped to respond quickly or sensitively enough.
Cities vs Countryside: Location Matters
Your postcode can significantly impact your mental health, not just your income or access to services, but also the level of social isolation, community support, and exposure to stigma.
For example:
London has the lowest suicide rate among men in England, possibly due to greater service availability and cultural openness.
The North West of England has the highest male suicide rate, reflecting deeper deprivation and reduced support infrastructure.
In Northern Ireland, suicide rates peaked in 2015 at over 30 per 100,000 men, though recent interventions have helped bring that number down.
If mental health is a national issue, then regional strategy matters.
A Ritual-Based Approach to Men’s Wellbeing
So what can be done?
We believe the answer isn’t always therapy, though it helps but also ritual. Small, repeated actions that bring a man back to his body, his breath, and his purpose. Daily practices that ground, reset, and restore.
At Strength and Rituals, we encourage men to:
Start the day with intention: breathwork, cold water, or a focused grooming ritual.
Move the body with respect, not punishment.
Reflect honestly without judgement, through journaling, walking, or simply sitting in stillness.
Speak, even once a week with someone who sees them, not just what they do.
Mental fitness isn’t built in crisis. It’s built in the ordinary.
Creating Space for Men to Breathe
We all want men to be strong. But real strength comes from balance, not suppression.
We need to:
Normalise conversations about male mental health that aren’t dramatic or clinical, just honest.
Make services accessible, particularly for older men, minority men, and those in isolated areas.
Integrate wellbeing into culture, from barbershops to workplaces, gyms to homes.
Men don’t need to be fixed. They need space to be seen, to slow down, and to reset.
Final Word: Start Your Ritual
If you’re a man who feels constantly under pressure, to perform, to provide, to keep it all together, you’re not alone. And you don’t have to wait until you break to start rebuilding.
Start small. Start daily. Start with your ritual.
Strength and Rituals offers more than products. We offer tools for transformation, including our new eBook: Under Pressure – A Mental Fitness Guide for Men in the City, which gives you practical rituals, mindset tools, and a 30-day challenge to reset how you think, feel, and live.
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