How do we improve men’s mental health via primary care? An evaluation of the Atlas Men’s Well-being Pilot Programme for stressed/distressed men.

Over three-quarters of all suicides are men (England and Wales), this is despite higher levels of anxiety and depression being reported by women. This disparity may in part be explained by atypical presentations of distress in men, and gendered issues around help-seeking. Consequently, the Atlas MenÕs Well-being Programme was designed to engage stressed/distressed men who were patients at a London-based GP surgery. Atlas encouraged GPs to identify and refer men for counselling and/or acupuncture by raising their awareness of menÕs distress. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate Atlas in terms of patientsÕ characteristics, service utilisation, patient outcomes and cost implications.