Att be om hjälp är inte en svaghet - En kvalitativ studie om kuratorers erfarenhet av psykisk ohälsa bland unga män

Sammanfattning: In Sweden there are 190 000 young adults suffering from mental health issues. Research shows that the majority of those who commit suicide are men, at the same time women are overrepresented among those who seek help with mental health issues. Research also shows that men have more difficulties in talking about and expressing their mental health problems in words. The aim of this study was therefore to look into counselors experience of their work with young men. Namely we studied how counsellors view young men’s ability to express their mental health, how - according to the counsellors - the society affects these views and how counselors take this into account when working with young men with mental health issues. The method chosen for this study was qualitative interviews with six different high school counselors from different social environments in a town in Scania. In the analysis of this study Connell’s idea of masculinity, Goffman’s concept of stigma and Foucault’s theory of discourse was, together with the collected material, used to illustrate and better understand the underlying reasons for the situation today with young men and their lack of help seeking for mental health issues. We found that the society, particularly the norm of masculinity in it, affects the way young men with mental health issues seek help. The study shows that - according to counsellors - young men lack experience to talk about and put their emotions into words. Preventative work and more frequently asking questions about young men’s wellbeing may have a positive effect on their decision to talk about and seek help for their mental health problems.