ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book seeks to unravel the complexities of men's mental health and offers practical guidance on how services can be developed that can reach out to men at the most vulnerable times of their lives. The high cost of mental health problems can be seen not only in the misery of the disrupted lives of those affected on a day-by-day basis, but also starkly through the mortality data. It has been suggested that the way that men present with mental or emotional difficulties is different from women and that this also causes problems in the effective diagnosis of the problem and referral on for effective treatment. The wish to see a broader approach to men's mental health has come at a good time with regard to health policy developments, both in the UK and across the globe.
