As South Africa marks Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, data from Lyra Southern Africa highlights a clear and persistent gap between mental health need and help‑seeking behaviour.
Men account for just three in 10 users of employee wellness programmes, despite mental health being the single largest category of concern across the data; in fact, mental health issues make up 23,3% of all cases, with stress, anxiety and depression consistently the main drivers year after year.
This pattern points to a sustained and underlying pressure, not a short‑term spike.
At the same time, delayed help‑seeking remains one of the most significant risks. In 2025, 67% of employees only accessed support when their situation was already severe or affecting their ability to function at work.
For many men, challenges are carried quietly until they reach a breaking point.
While it’s encouraging to see men utilising our resources, they tend to engage with us too late to get the maximum benefit,” explains Dr. Jane Semugga, chief medical officer at Lyra Southern Africa. “With stress, anxiety, and depression remaining so high, the delay in seeking help continues to be a major barrier to providing early, impactful support.”
The data shows that where someone works plays a major role in when they ask for help, with sector data highlighting workplace cultural impacts.
The Basic Materials sector (mining, extraction and manufacturing) records the highest levels of delayed help‑seeking, with close to 80% of cases only presenting at a severe stage. Consumer Services follows at above 75%, while the public sector sits just over 72%.
These environments are often defined by constant operational pressure, limited flexibility and workplace cultures that favour endurance over early support.
By comparison, Industrial, Financial and Telecommunications sectors show lower levels of delay, ranging between 60% and 63%. While still high, this points to earlier engagement and a shorter gap between the first signs of pressure and getting help.
The difference between sectors is close to 20%.
That gap speaks to more than access; it reflects how mental health is understood and framed within organisations.
“In some environments, support is positioned as part of staying effective and managing pressure,” says Dr Semugga. “In others, it is still seen as something you turn to when you can no longer cope. That difference directly affects when men come forward.”
Age plays a role as well. Men between 31 and 40 make up the largest group accessing support, followed by those aged 41 to 50. These are typically the years where work pressure, financial responsibility and relationship demands peak at the same time.
Across these groups, common drivers include work‑life balance strain, relationship challenges and financial pressure. The load is cumulative, and over time it begins to show.
Around one in 10 male cases presents at a high‑risk stage, often linked to substance use, suicidal ideation or gambling behaviour. These cases tend to emerge where pressure has been sustained and support delayed – leading to the progression of complexity.
“Failing to receive early support allows pressure to build,” says Dr Semugga, “This escalates manageable problems into serious issues with a higher risk of poor outcome and complication. These are patterns we see repeatedly.”
Across male‑dominated sectors, the barriers to early support are consistent. Concerns around confidentiality remain a primary deterrent, particularly in large or complex organisations. Time constraints and workload pressures limit opportunities to seek help, while low awareness of available services persists in some environments.
In Basic Materials, physical isolation and entrenched workplace norms reduce visibility and access. In Consumer Services, long hours create time pressure that makes help difficult to prioritise. In the Public sector, system complexity can slow or discourage engagement altogether.
Despite this, one pattern stands out clearly. Even in male‑dominated workforces, help‑seeking remains largely driven by female employees, highlighting a continued reluctance among men to access support early, despite the level of need reflected in the data.
Male utilisation has remained steady at around 31% to 33% over time, showing little shift toward earlier engagement.
“That tells us the issue is not awareness alone,” says Dr Semugga. “If behaviour is not changing, the barriers are deeper and more structural.”
There are, however, clear indications of what needs to change.
Closing this gap comes down to how support shows up in everyday working life. Language plays a key role. When mental health is framed around staying effective and managing pressure, rather than reacting to crisis, it becomes easier to engage with. Support starts to feel routine, not exceptional.
Access matters just as much. In male‑dominated sectors, bringing services into the workplace reduces the trade‑off between getting help and getting the job done. When support is visible and part of the environment, it becomes something people use, not avoid.
Timing though is the critical element, when someone reaches a point where they are ready to ask for help, that moment is often brief. Delays or missed signals can close it quickly. Changes in behaviour, or even a passing comment about pressure, are often early signs that support is needed. When those moments are met with immediate, practical options, people are far more likely to follow through.
“Framing makes a real difference,” says Dr Semugga. “When support is simple, relevant and available at the right time, men are far more likely to engage with it.”
“Men are more likely to engage when support is positioned as part of staying resilient and performing well,” says Dr Semugga. “That shift in framing changes behaviour.”
As Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month draws attention to how men engage with care, the data points to a clear opportunity for organisations.
“Time and time again, medicine proves that early intervention allows us to catch small issues before they become deeply rooted and cause preventable harm,” Dr Semugga says. “Our priority is to normalize early help-seeking so that managing mental health becomes a part of how employees stay well and continue to perform, not the panic button and the last resort during crisis.”