March 28, 2024
Proudly built in Richmond, KY
Mental Health

Let’s Be Candid About Men’s Mental Health

visibly stressed man at a table

Suicide is the leading cause of death in men under the age of 50.

Allow that to sink in for a moment. Above war, disease, and accidental death, more men choose to end their own lives than men that die unwillingly.

Make no mistake, mental illness is nothing short of a global epidemic. It is well and truly wreaking havoc on the human race, with suicide rates and diagnoses of psychological disorders breaking new records every decade.

Whilst women are more likely to receive a mental disorder diagnosis, the chances of men committing suicide due to illness are three times higher. Male suicides outnumber female suicides 4:1.

But why on earth do these stark differences occur? What about males puts them at a greater risk of suicide than females?

A Problem Shared…

Many point to the stigma that men are the biggest victims of mental illness purely because they believe that admitting to suffering indicates failure or weakness.

Society expects men to be self-assured, confident, and dominant at all times, leaving them feeling incompetent in the face of poor psychological health. Men who lack confidence feel unmanly. Depressed men wonder why they can’t just ‘suck it up,’ and male anxiety sufferers feel weak and fragile compared to macho stereotypes.

bodybuilder-weight-training-stress-38630.jpeg

Men feel emasculated in the face of poor mental health, so they struggle alone, never admitting that they need help.

To make things worse, men learn to write off emotional discussion as ‘girl talk.’

Women regularly engage in conversation about their emotions. When a woman encounters a personal issue, she will generally feel comfortable enough to confide in her friends about her emotions. Women feel happier seeking advice from others, taking no shame in admitting to struggling.

Men, on the other hand, are afraid not only of failure in the first place but also of acting in a way they deem unmanly for discussing their feelings, and ‘bottling up’ their emotions.

To avoid being seen as weak and preserve masculinity, males refrain from discussing their emotions and decide to internalize them, fighting the battle alone.

And this is precisely where the problem lies.

When faced with a personal issue of any kind, our natural response is to talk to others. In confiding in trusted friends or family, we can begin to chip away at a problem, viewing it from other people’s perspective and whittling it down into manageable chunks.

Consequently, the problem is weakened and becomes easier to deal with. As the saying goes, ‘A problem shared is a problem halved.’ Simply talking to others about our problems lessens their impact on our well-being. We can begin to see the essence of our problems from another person’s perspective, putting things out in the open instead of losing ourselves in thought.

Therefore, when males feel they can’t talk to others without being judged, rejected, or deemed a failure, they choose not to.

Men and women indeed both struggle with mental illness, but one-half of the population feels comfortable seeking help and the other half are the opposite.

Mental illness damages the well-being of males significantly more simply because men feel pressured to fight their battles alone. Subsequently, they are hit much harder.

This is largely why suicide rates are so much higher in males. Not only are men suffering in the first place, but they also then isolate themselves rather than seek help.

There Is No Shame in Seeking Help

Mental illness is likely to affect us all at some point during our lives. Whether small bouts of depression, patches of anxiety or a fully diagnosed condition, there is no shame in seeking support.

There will always be another person that wishes to help you. Even if you feel isolated and like people wouldn’t understand, I can assure you that just talking to other people about your situation will help – even if only a little.

man looking in mirror.jpeg

If confiding in friends or family isn’t an option for you, there’s therapy, charities, and countless free advice services online.

Below is a list of chronological steps I’d advise anybody in need of support to take. If one step isn’t feasible or workable for you, move on to the next.

  • Speak to a trusted friend or family member about your feelings.
  • See your GP; they’ll spend time giving you advice and may refer you to therapy.
  • Visit an online chatroom, such as Kooth, and seek online support.

‘Ask for help. Not because you are weak, but because you want to remain strong.’ – Les Brown

Blake Reichenbach
Self-help blogger and freelance writer. Personal development writer and founder and editor of Mind Cafe (https://medium.com/mind-cafe), a Medium publication.