Partnered Partnered content Mental health support must better reflect how young men seek care: GreenShield report

Existing mental health support systems must be redesigned to better engage young men, particularly as many continue to face barriers in accessing care,  new data has found.

A new report from GreenShield, in partnership with Mental Health Research Canada, found that one in three Canadian men aged 16-29 views seeking help for mental health challenges as a sign of weakness, highlighting the ongoing impact of stigma and traditional expectations of masculinity.

“Young men are largely silent,” said Taharka Gibb, director of creating shared value and impact measurement with GreenShield, Canada’s only national non-profit health care and insurance organization. 

“When they are struggling, most people will never know.”

The findings come amid growing concern about young men’s mental health, with one in five reporting moderately severe to severe depression or anxiety. Despite this, 44 per cent do not access care at all. 

Even among those who do seek support, 49 per cent disengaged before their needs are met, citing factors such as limited flexibility, lack of personalization and difficulty navigating care. 

“Young men tend to not respond to messages around seeking help or weakness or anything to do with basically admitting that you’re in a low place,” Gibb added.  

“Young men have the poorest help-seeking behaviour out of any group in Canada,” said Gibb.

The report also found that some young men are more likely to rely on unhealthy coping strategies, including gambling, substance use, or even turning to AI platforms and online communities.

“We want to provide healthy supports, recognizing that anxiety and depression is going to happen and so we do our best to preempt that. We don’t want it to happen. But we know it’s part of being human,” Gibb said.

Solutions for moving forward

Addressing these challenges requires a shift toward more accessible, personalized, and community-based models of care, according to GreenShield. 

Through its Youth Mental Health Initiative, it’s working with community partners and young people across Canada to build collaborative solutions that reflect how youth actually engage with mental health support.

The report’s findings also highlight the importance of reaching equity-seeking communities, where stigma can be even more pronounced.

Among newcomers to Canada, for example, nearly half view help-seeking as a sign of weakness.

“When we poll men of different equity-seeking groups, what’s there is stigma, it’s massive and especially across different cultures,” said Gibb.

“Even down to the linguistic level, sometimes there isn’t even a word or a phrase for mental health challenges in a culture.”

One of the best solutions, he said, will involve reshaping the narrative towards mental health care and making it easier for young men to seek help without stigma.

“Men need a community and a support system approach, which is unique,” he said. 

Reframing mental health as part of overall well-being and success, and resilience rather than a response to weakness, can help reduce stigma, he added. 

“What gets young men’s attention are messages about success. Mental health needs to be positioned as part of that bigger picture,” Gibb said.

“A healthy mind and healthy coping mechanisms are part of being successful.” 

Mental health programs should be created by tailoring and integrating them into young men’s interests and daily lives, as well as places where they already spend time, such as sports leagues and schools.

“We need to meet young men where they are, in the spaces and activities they’re already engaged in.”

Since young men are often reluctant to seek help on their own, coaches, teachers, and other trusted adults can help connect them with support, he added.

“Young men are often less likely to raise their hand and seek help on their own, which is why the people around them play such an important role,” said Gibb.

Greenshield’s Youth Mental Health Ecosystem pilot builds on this approach, offering a centralized digital platform where young people can access timely, culturally relevant support through a single, easy-to-navigate platform.

It’s designed to reduce barriers such as cost, wait times, and challenges in finding appropriate care.

“This data is giving people insights to build programs, services, and solutions that focus on support systems for men, that focus on changing narratives and language, that focus on stigma across different cultural groups and equity deserving groups,” Gibb said.