Men's mental health under pressure as suicidal thoughts double in ten years

 Read MIND report here

Helping men to open up about mental health

Mental ill health can of course affect anyone, irrespective of age, gender or status. But men, especially those working in a ‘macho’ or competitive environments, can often struggle to open up, to say they need help and support. But, in conjunction with occupational health, there is much employers can do to make a difference, argues Phil Austin. Click here to read article

Millions of men in the UK affected by body image issues – Mental Health Foundation survey

Millions of men in the UK have struggled with body image issues according to findings published by the Mental Health Foundation. Click here to read article

Worcester’s masculine yoga event tackled the stigma around men’s mental health

A YOGA event aimed at tackling men’s mental health has taken place in a bid to combat the stigma around discussion among males. Click here to read news piece

British Society for Sexual Medicine Guidelines on Adult Testosterone Deficiency, With Statements for UK Practice

The aim of this guidance is to review the available literature on testosterone deficiency and provide evidence-based statements for UK clinical practice.

Survey of Dermatologists and Venereologists Shows Varying Approach to Penile Biopsies

J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2017;10(10):26–27

Objective. To determine frequency of use and safety of epinephrine containing local anesthesia among dermatologists in the United Kingdom and venereologists undertaking penile biopsy.

Conclusion. Use of epinephrine-containing local anesthesia is common among physicians in the United Kingdom undertaking penile biopsies. Despite this, no episodes of necrosis were observed. While further investigation is still required, it is likely that use of epinephrine-containing local anesthesia is safe for local penile injection.

UHCW Research: Aaron Wernham and Tang Ngee Shim

Men find self-testing acceptable to test for sexually transmitted infections

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are common and treatable but men are more reluctant than women to have a test. Self-testing is known to be accurate, but can men use this more?

Most men aged 18-35 would be willing to collect and send off a urine sample using a kit to test for STIs, according to a national survey. GP surgeries were the most popular place to collect kits, followed by pharmacies and sexual health clinics.

Other venues might be useful extra places to distribute testing kits and increase their use. About half of young men play football, and half of them are willing to collect kits from the club they play at. Extra advice from a health advisor or team captain does not seem to increase the use of these tests. However, none of the 90 men tested in this study had an infection, so football clubs may not be the best place to find men with undetected STIs.

Young men and mental health: how do you cope with anxiety?

A quarter of young men self-harm to cope with depression, stress and anxiety, according to a survey by YouGov.

The poll of 500 men aged between 16 and 24 found that 24% had turned to self-harm to deal with difficult emotions. Additionally, 22% said they had considered doing so.

When under pressure, the survey also found a large number of young men resorted to exercising excessively, controlled eating, pulling out their hair, punching walls and abusing drugs.

Male breast patient imaging: what is an appropriate pathway?

The aims of the retrospective study outlined on this poster were

1. To audit the male breast imaging service at UHCW using corresponding clinical examination scoring(Pvalue)and radiological imaging scoring(Rvalue).
2. To identify ifany current pathway strategy is being used and whether this works to classify likelihood of benign vs malignant pathology.
3. To propose a new male breast imaging pathway which may make better use of the breast imaging services.

UHCW Research: M. Sreenivas

Benign male genital dermatoses

Benign male genital dermatoses 

BMJ 2016;354:i4337

Males with genital skin disease may present to clinicians in primary care, dermatology, genitourinary medicine, or urology clinics. Male genital dermatoses encompass a wide variety of skin lesions and rashes, some of which are limited to the genital area whereas others, such as psoriasis, can be part of a more generalised skin disorder. Genital skin disease can impact on the physical, psychological, and sexual wellbeing of men. Some dermatoses are precancerous, and cancer of the penis is associated with morbidity and mortality and litigation.1 This clinical update provides a guide to normal anatomical variations of the penis, how to recognise and manage common benign male genital dermatoses, and when to refer for specialist opinion.

UHCW Research: Tang Hgee Shim

Improving the quality of care for men with lower urinary tract symptoms: shared decision making

The primary aim of the initiative was to prevent inappropriate referrals and raise the quality of patient referrals by improving the decisions made by clinicians and their patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). The use of patient decision aids (PDAs) and shared decision-making (SDM) would help facilitate the quality of referrals and the better use of resources.