Hello Millenial Readers,

The focus on human health in this day and age has grown beyond just physical wellness. Other integral parts pertaining to one’s health such as their mental, emotional and spiritual wellness are now equally as important. Through the years, mental health awareness has grown expeditiously, especially in third-world countries, to the point that it has been included in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

This being no new topic, it is a wonder that there is still a staggering disparity between how men and women take care of their mental health. Globally, more women suffer from mental illnesses than men with the percentages being 11.9% versus 9.3%. However, more men than women commit suicide as directly linked to mental health struggles. This is because men rarely open up and seek help for mental health issues. In my opinion, that would also mean that the number of men suffering from mental health issues may be slightly higher than what is universally recorded.

Why Men are Not Seeking Mental Health Help

Being International Men’s health week, we shall delve into; the reasons hindering men from seeking help concerning their mental health, how men can notice that they need help, the importance and benefits of stable mental health and how we can support the men in our lives battling with mental health.

Men rarely pay attention to their mental health due to a number of reasons including stigmatisation, masculine stereotypes and socioeconomic status just to mention a few. Aside from the stigma that already surrounds mental health as a whole, men have to go over the hurdle of being perceived as weak if they speak up when undergoing mental health issues. Men of colour often take a bigger blow due to culturally set expectations of them to be ‘stronger’ and to ‘man up’.

Unlike women who are more reflective when undergoing mental health issues, men resort to maladaptive tendencies. Women are likely to withdraw and become lonely while men, on the other hand, can become rowdy, engage in substance abuse and have unhealthy sexual relations. What makes this riskier for men is the fact that such behaviour is deemed acceptable and in some cases considered normal when sometimes, it could be a desperate cry for help. The victims themselves may not even notice it until it is too late.

Mental health should neither be viewed as a taboo nor taken as a burden but as a worthy investment that everyone should make. As the saying goes, make hay while the sun shines. Therapy is not only for people suffering from mental illnesses but for every single person looking to live a wholesome life. Taking care of one’s mental health enables them to heal past traumas, be aware of their strengths and weaknesses, and help them identify where they are in life and where one want to be while making the relevant steps towards self-actualization. These are just but a few of the inexhaustible benefits of taking care of your mental health.

As a society, it is our role to help in redefining masculinity with men being at the forefront. We should hold space for men and allow them to seek help without feeling lesser or weaker. We ought to also take time to sensitize younger males on matters of mental health and ingrain in them better ways of expressing themselves and healthy coping mechanisms in the face of turbulence. Lastly, I would urge us to be more keen on checking in with the men in our lives. What may pass as mere overindulgence could be an outcry instead.

All hope is not lost but massive improvement can still be made. As Millennials and Gen Zs, we should make collective efforts towards welcoming men more into the mental health space.

Anatolia Yitra ❤❤❤