Men struggling more 'to cope with recession'

Men are struggling more to cope with the emotional impact of recession as compared to women, a new survey in Britain has revealed.

According to the survey, almost 40 per cent of male respondents have admitted to feeling low with job security, work and money playing on their minds -- yet, men are unlikely to talk about their feelings than women.

In fact, only 29 per cent of men would talk to friends about their problems as compared to 53 per cent of women and they were also less likely to talk to their family. Men were also less likely to seek out professional help and a third would feel embarrassed about it, the survey found.

And 5 per cent of men said that they had experienced suicidal thoughts compared with 2 per cent of women, the poll of 2,000 adults in Britain has revealed.

Paul Farmer of Mind, which commissioned the survey told 'BBC News' portal: "The recession is clearly having a detrimental impact on the nation's mental health but men in particular are struggling with the emotional impact.

"Being a breadwinner is something that's still crucial to the male psyche so if a man loses his job he loses a large part of his identity putting his mental wellbeing in jeopardy.

The problem is too many men wrongly believe that admitting mental distress makes them weak and this kind of self stigma can cost lives."