Alternative approaches for health, mental wellbeing and suicide prevention for boys and young men

There is considerable current policy debate and public discourse about the nature of health, wellbeing and suicide in boys and young men. Unfortunately, little of the discussion seems to be founded on established models of best practice for working with young males in this space. Further, arguments proffered, and decisions made regularly tend to omit the voice of young males from the process. For optimal health outcomes and suicide prevention to be achieved for young males and subsequently across their whole lifespan, substantial evidence needs to be gathered and considered in establishing benchmarks for policy, funding, and service delivery. The article will explore some of the established literature that covers this area, as well as emerging research that is adding to current knowledge as the article looks at the emerging non-medial alternative approaches such as mentoring as an early intervention, the impact of social determinants of health and collaborative group-based activities and also a change in media content from highlighting hegemonic/toxic masculinity to more positive emotional stories of men showing a resilient attitude to life’s problems. The article discuses a growing need to move away from medical approaches especially in the case of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder that is 3-9 times more prevalent amongst young boys who are diagnosed with it than girls. There is a need to find a more balanced physical/medical health and mental/emotional wellbeing approach for young men to deal with the transition from boyhood to manhood.