Naming the Elephant in the Room – Men and Mental Health

Mental health awareness programs have done a huge service for many people by educating the broader public about the everyday struggles of millions of Americans. There are often stubborn ideas about mental health and mental illness that are hard to dislodge from the public’s imagination. That often makes it harder for people to seek the help they need. It can make it difficult to even acknowledge that there’s a problem in the first place.

When it comes to men and mental health, massive strides have been made in helping men deal with mental illness and the challenges it brings in their lives and the lives of loved ones.

However, we need to talk about men and mental health as there are still some obstacles to be overcome so that more men seek appropriate help.

Getting a Grip on Mental Health

What is mental health? To borrow from the World Health Organization, mental health is “a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.” When a person is in good mental health, they can cope well with everyday stresses and flourish.

Mental health isn’t a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the question of whether you’re enjoying life. Our mental health exists on a continuum, as a person may be flourishing in one area, but struggling or in distress in another area, all at the same time.

Challenges Around Men and Mental Health

When it comes to men and their mental health, there are a few challenges that exist. One of the main barriers is that among many men, mental health is not something talked about. That makes it difficult to get much-needed help. Many men are dying by suicide, at a rate of nearly four times that of women. That is due in part to the lethal means that men use, but it also signals that many men are struggling and not finding the help they need.

There are several reasons why men either don’t talk about their mental health or don’t seek help when they need it. Some of these reasons include the following:

• Social norms and expectations. The classic models of masculinity such as the warrior, cowboy, soldier, gangster, or superhero are known for their aggressiveness and disciplined refusal to complain about what they’re struggling with. Men face pressure to be strong, stoic, and independent, as their upbringing and role models teach men to cope with problems by themselves.A man may end up feeling ashamed or embarrassed to seek out help for mental health issues as a result of these norms and expectations.
• Difficulty articulating the issues. Another challenge men face is that one needs the framework and language to be able to define and articulate what they’re struggling with. A man may be experiencing depression, but because men tend to experience more externalized symptoms like aggression and reckless behavior when they are depressed, it’s easy to miss what’s really going on – for the man and the people around him.It’s possible, too, that health professionals do not properly diagnose what’s going on because medical biases and stereotypes affect the ability to give accurate diagnoses. A man may struggle to understand what’s going on for himself, let alone be able to express it and seek help for it.
• Self-medicating. Due to socialization, being competent tends to be a sought-after trait for men. One side-effect of this is that when a man is facing difficulty, he is more likely to self-medicate before he seeks help. Thus, a man will try to cope using unhealthy coping behaviors such as drugs or alcohol to get by rather than to seek help.

 Help for Your Mental Health Journey

Depending on what one means by it, it can be misleading to speak about ‘finding healing’ from mental health issues. With some mental health concerns, one can overcome the symptoms and not experience certain challenges again. With other mental health conditions, the goal is to have effective coping mechanisms so that one can experience life fully and function without hindrance.

The good news with many mental health challenges such as depression or anxiety is that there are effective treatment protocols available. Recognize that many other men struggle with the same things, and that there’s no shame in seeking help in whatever form it comes, including seeking out counseling. It needs you to reach out and talk with a mental health professional.

Your conversations with a licensed counselor or therapist are confidential, and they will treat you with the utmost respect as they walk with you towards wholeness and cultivating effective tools to help you cope. If this is an invitation you would like to accept, reach out to our offices today. We are standing by with therapists ready to make an appointment.