Why Is Suicide Rate High in Men? Causes and Prevention

Introduction and Research Design

The central research question guiding this study is: Why is suicide high in men? To answer this question, a multi-method research design was employed. A systematic literature review was conducted first, followed by qualitative research in the form of semi-structured interviews. The themes identified from the literature were then assessed and compared against the qualitative results to reinforce the overall findings.

The literature review was conducted across three databases using defined inclusion and exclusion criteria to refine the search. A thematic analysis was subsequently conducted to identify recurring themes from prior studies and to assess the strengths and weaknesses of existing scholarly work. The qualitative component consisted of semi-structured interviews with men who had previously attempted suicide, conducted in the presence of a psychological specialist. The aim was to gain an in-depth understanding of the participants' mental states and the motivations behind their suicide attempts. The themes derived from the qualitative research were then used to corroborate and strengthen the findings from the literature review.

Data Sources and Search Strategy

For the systematic literature review, three databases were selected — Embase, Medline, and CINAHL — to identify peer-reviewed articles most relevant to the research question. The review was confined to six papers to enable a systematic, rigorous, and wide-ranging approach to evidence critique through thematic analysis. The thematic analysis helped extract key themes from the texts, which were later used to evaluate the qualitative research findings.

For the qualitative component, semi-structured interviews were conducted with men who had previously attempted suicide. The interviews took place in the clinic of a psychiatric specialist who was a professional acquaintance, and all participants were his patients who had received counseling and had since recovered from their symptoms. The results from the interviews were used to corroborate the themes identified in the systematic literature review, thereby strengthening the paper's conclusions.

Keywords Used for the Literature Search

The following keywords were used to conduct the online database search: suicide in men, high rate of suicide in men, men committing suicide, factors leading men to suicide, suicidality in men, male suicide, male intentions for suicide, masculinity and suicide in men, depression and suicide in men, substance misuse and suicide in men.

Eligibility Criteria (Inclusion and Exclusion)

Articles were considered eligible primarily because they were relevant to the research question — namely, exploring the reasons for the high rate of suicide among men. Articles related to women's suicide or to family members affected by men's suicidal inclinations were excluded, as these populations fall outside the scope of the current research.

Articles published before 2015 were also excluded so that only recent scholarship would be considered, providing insight into contemporary factors contributing to male suicide. An additional search strategy involved examining the reference lists of selected articles to identify further relevant sources. This extended search opened new investigative dimensions — for example, illuminating the fact that men with depression often do not seek medical help.

Systematic Literature Review

More than 100 articles were retrieved when the keywords were entered into the databases, but only six met the inclusion criteria and were selected for review. The systematic literature review is presented below in chronological order to allow a comprehensive view of the scholarly research and to set the foundation for the thematic analysis discussed in the following section.

Shand et al. (2015) aimed to assess the factors that interrupt men's suicidal behavior and prompt high suicidal risk. The survey results showed that men exhibited signs of depression and wanted support without explicitly asking for it.

Dragisic et al. (2015) searched for the association between suicide and substance abuse using a questionnaire method, examining the mediating roles of hereditary factors, legal problems, and personality traits. Statistical results showed a significant relationship between suicide and substance abuse, with hypersensitivity and psychotic disorders also prevalent.

Keohane and Richardson (2018) explored the role of masculinity in help-seeking behavior around depression and men's willingness to offer psychological support to those at risk. A focus group study revealed three themes suggesting that masculinity plays a dominant role in seeking and accepting help during distress, and that this dynamic can shape patterns of suicide prevention in men.

Conejero et al. (2018) investigated recent findings on suicidal thoughts among older adults and the risk factors that drive them toward suicide. A PubMed literature search revealed that stress, psychological distress, and social isolation are the main causes of suicidal thoughts and should be actively addressed.

Esang and Ahmed (2018) investigated whether substance use increases suicide risk in men. Their results revealed that substance use and alcoholism impair judgment and disrupt cognition under stress, leading to suicidal attempts.

King et al. (2020) investigated the relationship between suicidal inclination in young males and conformity to masculine norms. A cohort study design revealed that Australian young men who strongly conform to masculinity may be at high risk for suicidal ideation and elevated rates of suicide.

Thematic Analysis of the Literature

The thematic analysis of the literature review identified three distinct themes explaining the high rate of suicide in men. Some of these themes corroborated the facts and statistics introduced earlier in the paper.

The first theme is toxic masculinity and the tendency toward suicide. Young males are at the highest risk of committing suicide, yet they do not portray themselves as vulnerable since they consider themselves the stronger gender. For this reason, they do not express feelings of stress or depression, and they do not seek help. Adherence to social norms of masculinity can strongly affect men's mental health and is a key factor in the development of suicidal tendencies.

The second theme is depression, considered another chief reason men are driven to suicide. Stress, anxiety, and mental disorders play a central role in bringing men to a point of helplessness where they perceive suicide as a last resort. A large body of research has shown that post-traumatic stress disorder among military men has caused suicide attempts, clearly indicating that men are highly affected by depression. This connects directly to the first theme: strict adherence to masculine norms discourages help-seeking, which in turn elevates depression levels and ultimately raises the risk of suicide.

The third theme is substance misuse. Men who are dependent on alcohol and drugs are at elevated risk of committing suicide. Substances such as opioids, marijuana, and cocaine disrupt normal behavior, and the psychotic disturbances they cause increase the likelihood of suicide. Substance misuse is frequently accompanied by stress, and as drug intake increases, so does the number of suicide cases among men.