Movember and men’s mental health: having the conversation

Launched in Australia in 2003, the Movember movement encourages men to grow a moustache to spark conversations and raise funds for men’s health issues, including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health. Over the past two decades, it has grown into a global campaign focused on saving and improving lives.

In this blog, legal assistant Andrew Debrah discusses the importance of talking about men's health. 

According to the Department of Health & Social Care, ‘Men’s Health Strategy for England: call for evidence’, men are disproportionately affected by a number of health conditions including, cancer, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Moreover, life expectancy data also show that men live four years fewer than women on average.

Testicular cancer is the most common cancer affecting men, followed closely by prostate cancer. Early detection is critical and common symptoms include: 

• Blood in urine or semen
• Difficulty urinating or a weak urine stream
• A lump or swelling in either testicle
• A feeling of heaviness in the scrotum
• Pain or discomfort in a testicle or the scrotum 

The above list is not exhaustive, but contains some of the key signs to look out for. 

Additionally, there also remains a long-standing stigma surrounding men’s mental health, leading to higher rates of suicide among men. Recent data shows that nearly three-quarters of people who died by suicide in 2023 were men. Even more concerning, suicide remains the leading cause of death for men under 50. Men are disproportionately impacted by suicide for a number of reasons, but one of the main reasons is communication – or the lack of it. 

In the past, men have often been encouraged to be ‘strong’ and boys have been conditioned from a young age to not express emotion as it may make them appear ‘weak’ or not masculine. Therefore, it is unsurprising that men today are struggling to know what ‘being a man’ even means. 

From a medical negligence perspective, we have seen many cases where healthcare professionals have not listened to men or failed to take their concerns seriously. As a result, we have acted for numerous clients in claims involving delayed diagnoses of cancer, heart attacks, infections, and even cases linked to suicide.

At Russell-Cooke, we have seen a concerning pattern where men’s symptoms are too often overlooked or not taken seriously by healthcare professionals. Whether due to assumptions about men being stoic, communication breakdowns, or other factors, these failures can lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment, sometimes with life-changing or even fatal consequences.

As a specialist medical negligence practice, we act on behalf of men and their families who have suffered because of such oversights. In each case, we work to ensure that those affected are supported, and that accountability is sought from the responsible healthcare providers.

We are committed not only to pursuing justice for our clients but also to highlighting systemic issues in men’s healthcare. We believe that every man deserves to be heard and treated with the seriousness his health requires.

We can save lives by talking, making men feel safe to open up a conversation, and by listening. It is imperative that we encourage more conversations about men’s health issues and openly discussing them can reduce stigma and encourage men to feel more comfortable discussing their health. It is vital that we create a safe space to have open and honest conversations about issues that impact men and move away from the traditional view of what is means to ‘be a man’. 

Andrew Debrah is a legal assistant in the personal injury and medical negligence team. He has experience working on a wide range of personal injury and clinical negligence matters including road traffic collisions, injuries at work, tripping incidents and fatal accidents.