Why don't Aboriginal men seek help for mental health problems?

Aboriginal men do not access mainstream mental health services in proportion to their need and very little is known about Aboriginal men’s help seeking for mental health problems. This study explored the help seeking behaviour of rural Aboriginal men with mental health problems. The study was carried out using a combination of culturally appropriate research methodologies. A total of seventeen Aboriginal people were interviewed of whom fifteen were men. Data were analysed thematically. Four themes emerged from the data collected. They included difficulty in recognising the problem, barriers to disclosing one’s illness, reluctance to contact services and alternate coping strategies. This study is the first in-depth exploration of the help seeking behaviour of Australian Aboriginal men with mental health problems. It implies that improving utilisation of mental health services by Aboriginal men might need to not only focus on making services culturally sensitive but also address the barriers to their help seeking.