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November is widely recognized as Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, a crucial reminder that mental health challenges are not determined by genders. It is widely known as November, typically focusing on men’s mental health issues and using the growing of a moustache as a symbol to raise awareness and funds for these causes.
The focus of this month is to break the silence around men’s mental health struggles and encourage them to seek active support.
The Hidden Truth about Men’s Emotional Wellbeing
Statistics reveal an alarming trend about men’s emotional wellbeing.
- Men are 3-4 times more likely to die by suicide than women.
- Only 1 in 3 men seek professional help for mental health issues.
- Men often wait longer to reach out for help, leading to more severe symptoms.
- Depression and anxiety in men are often undiagnosed and untreated, leading to negative consequences for their physical and mental health further.
Why don’t men seek help?
It is extremely common for men to not seek help due to various social, cultural and emotional reasons.
- Cultural conditioning: From childhood, men are usually taught to man up, not cry, and suppress emotions and handle the problems alone. This socialization creates a deep-rooted resistance to vulnerability whereby seeking help is considered as a sign of weakness and hence men do not usually seek help even if they are going through a lot.
- Fear or judgment: As the idea of masculinity is often associated with not seeking help, they perceive that asking for help will make them look weak, inadequate, or less masculine if they admit to struggling.
- Limited emotional vocabulary: As men have often been taught to identify their negative and emotional vulnerability through anger and frustration, it is usually difficult for them to express complex emotions and understand them for their own good.
- Lack of awareness: Men might not recognize these symptoms of depression and anxiety in themselves as they manifest differently for both the genders.
Symptoms of Poor Mental Health for Men
Mental health struggles manifest differently in men than it is normally expected. Common symptoms can include:
- risk-taking behavior
- substance abuse
- social withdrawal
- sleep disturbances
- increased irritability or anger, and
- loss of interest in activities.
If you think that you or someone near you is going through these problems, then do look out for sudden personality change, increased aggressions, extreme mood swings, and talking about feeling trapped or being a burden.
Substance Abuse is one of the most common mental health challenges faced by a man as they turn to alcohol or drugs to cope up with their mental health issues. The use and consumption of alcohol and drugs are considered to be normal and more acceptable and it is more acceptable to have emotional outbursts and act irrationally when they are high from the effects of these substances. Men use this as an outlet for their emotions or to suppress whatever they are feeling, both of which are not healthy ways to deal with their mental health conditions. Substance Abuse can worsen mental health conditions and create a cycle of dependency. It can also further lead to more mental health challenges.
Men might also suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. Anxiety and phobias are also extremely common among men. More than 3 million men live with panic disorders, agoraphobia, or any other form of phobia. Around 2.3 million Americans are affected with bipolar disorder, whereas men develop symptoms between the ages of 16 to 25. Among the 3.5 million people who were diagnosed with schizophrenia in the U.S., 90% are men who were diagnosed by the age of 30.
What can men do for themselves?
- You should learn how to recognize your feelings and understand that it is a strength, not a weakness.
- Start small by talking to someone you trust or write a journal about how you feel.
- Seek professional help as therapy is a powerful tool to deal with your mental health.
- Build a support network wherein you also connect with other men who understand what you are going through.
- Practice self-care through exercising, sleeping, nutrition, and practicing your hobbies.
For Loved Ones
- You can create safe spaces for men and allow them to be vulnerable in these spaces.
- Listen to them without judgment and sometimes all they need is to be heard.
- Check in regularly and not wait for a crisis to happen.
- Normalize therapy by sharing one’s experiences with mental health support.
- Watch for warning signs and be proactive about concerning behaviors.
