Why Do Men Report Fewer Mental Health Problems Than Women?

Why the Numbers Mislead Us—and What We’re Missing About Men’s Mental Health

It’s one of the most well-documented findings in mental health research: women are far more likely than men to be diagnosed with anxiety and depression.

A major global study estimated that around 187.5 million women live with an anxiety disorder, compared to 113.9 million men. That’s about 4.7% of all women on earth, versus just 2.9% of men. The pattern is nearly identical when it comes to depression: roughly 170.4 million women (4.2%) are affected, compared to 109.2 million men (2.7%).

But these global rates hide something important: young adults—especially young women—are struggling more than any other age group. In fact, research shows that young women are almost 1.5 times as likely as young men to report symptoms of anxiety and depression.

So what’s going on? Why are women, particularly young women, seemingly more vulnerable to these conditions?

A recent study we conducted among college athletes might offer some clues.

In our sample, women athletes were nearly four times as likely as men athletes to report a diagnosis of anxiety or depression. Four times. That’s a huge difference—and it raises some big questions. Why are the numbers so skewed in sport? And what might this reveal about the broader population?

How We Measure Mental Health Might Be Part of the Problem

Let’s start with the way we diagnose these conditions. Symptoms like sadness, withdrawal, tearfulness, and feelings of worthlessness are more likely to be observed in women. This means that disorders that include these symptoms amongst diagnostic criteria are more likely to skew towards women being subsequently diagnosed.

But men often experience emotional distress differently. Research has shown that men are more likely to show symptoms like anger, irritability, aggression, substance use, and risk-taking—behaviours that don't always register as "depression" in traditional assessments.

In fact, one compelling study found that when you include these so-called “male-typical” symptoms in the definition of depression, the gender gap in prevalence virtually disappears.

Now apply that to sport: a world where aggression, risk-taking, and emotional toughness are not only accepted—they’re celebrated. It’s easy to see how a male athlete could be deeply distressed and yet never score high enough on a mental health assessment tool to be flagged for depression.

In our study we saw women’s rates of depression and anxiety were far higher than men’s, likely in part because we’re simply not capturing the male experience of mental distress accurately.

If You Don’t Show Up, You Don’t Get Counted

The second reason is more straightforward: men are less likely to seek help.

Our research showed that male athletes were significantly less likely than female athletes to access any kind of mental health support. And this isn’t unique to sport—men in general are less likely to walk into a GP’s office or a therapist’s room to talk about their mental health.

In sports culture, ideals like mental toughness, self-reliance, and pushing through pain are deeply ingrained—especially among men. Unfortunately admitting you're struggling is still too often seen as weakness, and many men athletes internalise the message that they should “suck it up” or “deal with it on their own.” This is a narrative that we must continue to shift.

What this means is that some of the men who are struggling the most may be the least likely to show up in mental health statistics. And in sport, where those ideals are amplified, the gender gap grows even wider.

Toughness Isn’t All Bad—But It Needs Balance

There’s one final, more nuanced explanation: some of the traits that stop men from seeking help may also offer a degree of emotional protection.

That might sound controversial, but hear me out.

Resilience. Strength. Self-reliance. Mental toughness. The ability to push through adversity. These traits are often viewed as barriers to help-seeking—and rightly so. There is evidence that these kind of beliefs are associated with lower levels of help-seeking in elite athletes. But in moderation, they may offer a buffer against some of life’s emotional ups and downs.

If you believe in your ability to solve problems on your own, you might bounce back more easily from everyday setbacks. And if these traits are more strongly reinforced in men, especially male athletes, that might partly explain why they report lower levels of anxiety and depression.

This doesn’t mean we should glorify silence, stoicism or self-reliance. In fact, just the opposite: we need to teach men how to hold on to their strength while also learning to let go. Resilience is important—but so is knowing when to reach out, open up, and ask for help.

So Where Does This Leave Us?

Our study of athlete mental health offers three important takeaways for understanding why men are diagnosed with depression and anxiety at lower rates than women:

1. Our diagnostic tools (and maybe our diagnostic criteria) need an upgrade—they often miss how men express emotional pain.

2. We need to create better pathways for men to seek help, especially in environments like sport where vulnerability is discouraged.

3. We should rethink how we talk about masculine traits like toughness and self-reliance—presenting them as tools that can be used wisely, flexibly, and in balance with openness, help-seeking and connection.

Because men don’t just need to be tough. They need to be heard.