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Contemporary health policy increasingly positions responsibility for the management of health with the individual which reflects newer neo-liberal discourses of health. Such an approach can be seen as problematic in the context of men's health, with men tending to be seen as largely 'irresponsible' towards their own health. This paper addresses this question by drawing on qualitative data on how men conceptualise responsibility for health. Whilst the desire to be responsible for health was borne by most of the men in the study, this was not always reflected in practice. There was also evidence of strategies that men adopted for either divesting themselves of responsibility for health or for legitimising lack of responsibility. In some instances, acting 'irresponsibly' was what defined participants as 'real men'. The implications of these findings for men's health policy are discussed with specific reference to the recent publication of Ireland's National Men's Health Policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Book prescription schemes and healthy reading schemes are public mental health initiatives that are inspired by the bibliotherapeutic principle of 'the guided use of reading, always with a therapeutic outcome in mind' (Katz & Watz, 1992). These initiatives were originally developed in the UK as an example of care in the community for the treatment of mild to moderate mental health problems. This involves the creation of a collection of self-help books in a local library which members of the public can access free of charge to help with their recovery from mental illness. Ireland's first Book Prescription Scheme was established in Dublin City in 2007. This article presents a critical assessment of the contribution that these reading schemes offer the treatment of mental illness in Ireland. While advocates commend this new service, a critical discourse analysis of Irish self-help reading schemes reveals that offering guided reading for the treatment of mental illness provides an individualistic and neo-liberal construction of mental illness and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]