The Emerging Epidemic of Male Me-Too: Response to Men’s Mental Health: Beyond Victim Blaming

The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry is an important reference in the education of psychiatric trainees in Canada and elsewhere. In the recently published editorial “Men’s Mental Health: Beyond Victim Blaming,” Dr. Whitley skillfully outlines how literature on the impact of intimidation and harassment (I&H) has largely focused on women and how a recently emerging field of discourse is the mental health experience of males. ¹ This article especially emphasized how men are disproportionately overrepresented in specific mental health domains, including rates of suicide, substance use disorders, underutilization of mental health resources, and overdose deaths involving fentanyl, yet men have simultaneously been left out of the recent “me-too” movement. As such, men’s mental health has aptly earned various eponyms, such as the “silent epidemic” or “quiet catastrophe,” as Dr. Whitley writes.

It is not surprising, then, to learn that the focus of issues involving the impact of I&H among resident physicians has also largely ignored the experiences of males. However, recent studies have shown that I&H is also frequently reported by male resident physicians. In 2014, Karim and Duchcherer ² conducted an extensive literature review of surveys of resident physicians reporting incidents of I&H. The results were profound: I&H was found to be highly prevalent, with 45% to 93% of residents reporting this behaviour on at least one occasion. In one study, there were equal rates of sexual harassment reported by male and female residents. ³ In another study, male residents were more likely to classify I&H behaviors as legitimate if they had a positive effect on their education. ⁴ Regarding reasons to avoid reporting I&H, male residents more often reported that they did not think it was a problem, that they did not think that it was worthwhile, or that they did not believe that it would accomplish anything. Overall, it appears that the I&H experiences of male resident physicians are not as invisible as we may have once thought.

This, however, is not due to a lack of effort. Many Canadian residency programs have developed I&H policies, provided education on issues around professionalism, and emphasized the role of physician wellness. ⁵ However, despite these interventions and the supposed importance of preventing and mitigating the impact of I&H in residency, few specific solutions have been proposed. Furthermore, for there to be effective solutions for I&H among residents, we must consider the current culture regarding I&H in general, which has, until recently, portrayed males only as perpetrators, rather than victims, of I&H.

Anees Bahji, HBSc, MD Department of Psychiatry, PGY4 Psychiatry, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario [e-mail]