Men’s Mental Health

Mental health is a topic widely talked about in society, but there are a lot of subjects in mental health that don’t get talked about enough.

One of those subjects is men’s mental health. Men have been put under a stigma by society that they can’t show emotion and have to be tough even when they’re not okay. Teens in high school deal with that stigma; that’s how they were raised or the norm they were subjected to. 

An article by Brown University talks about the distress males face with these norms, where they come from, the pressure that gets overlooked, and health problems men face.

“Men face elevated risks of heart disease and stroke. They have shorter lifespans than women. They are less likely to seek care for physical and mental health issues and more likely to skip routine checkups, waiting until problems become urgent or life-threatening.”

Men have the highest death rate from mental health struggles. Depression and suicide are actually some of the leading causes of death in men, with a suicide rate that’s four times higher than females. 

So what about the pressure they deal with?

Many boys, especially in high school, juggle expectations from sports, if they play, schoolwork, and whatever is going on in their personal lives.

We often have no idea what causes someone’s mental health to decline, and sometimes we do not even notice it has happened until it is too late.

Even when someone realizes they are struggling, it can be hard to talk about it. Some might shut people out and try to act fine, putting up a tough exterior.

But what would happen if they did open up about what they were feeling? How would you respond? Would knowing they were struggling change how you think about them?

We don’t always know the answers to those questions until a friend or family member finally admits they are not okay.

Mental health for men has been talked about more commonly in the past two years, but it is still a serious situation.

We are becoming more aware of what’s happening with men’s mental health, but we still have a long way to go.

Awareness of what’s happening around us can be what saves someone’s life.