Written By : Mohammed Zaman Rajabi

November is the “Men’s Health” month.

Traditionally, societies expectations for men are for them to “man up”, “push forward” and “do not complain” and “stay strong”. These are the norms and values that boys are brought up with and could be detrimental to their mental health as they grow up. It is important to acknowledge that these stereotypes and expectations can be damaging to men’s mental health. While expectations such as being strong or being the breadwinner are not inherently bad, but these have made it harder for men to open up about their issues and seek help.

Many studies show that men have difficulty recognizing their mental health symptoms and problems simply because they do not openly speak about their emotions thus, they are less likely to seek support. Studies suggest that harmful coping mechanisms are more prevalent among men. Examples are the abuse of drugs and alcohol, cigarette smoking, poor eating habits, overworking and social disengagement.

Mental health and mental disorders do not discriminate among genders. Men also suffer from mental health disorders as well as women across all the societies and cultures, but the topic has been masked and has been put to sleep due to the expectations that we have developed for men.

StatsCan Canadian Community Health Survey on Mental Health and Well-being showed that 10 percent of men who participated in the survey reported mental health and substance abuse symptoms as opposed to 11 percent among women. This number shows that there is not much difference among men and women when it comes to mental health disorders. StatsCan also reported increased hospitalization among men due to schizophrenia among men and increased postpartum depression among new fathers. Research on depression in the UK, the US, and Australia show that the gap among men and women is closing and both genders equally suffer from depression.

Perhaps the key vulnerability among men can be drawn out of many studies that have been conducted about suicide. In Canada, men comprise four out of five suicides. Studies in the UK and the US found that men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women. Longitudinal studies in Australia shows that suicide has surpassed traffic accidents and has become the leading cause of death among men.

What stops men from seeking mental health support?

Globally, the concept of men’s health is very new in many societies. Men’s health hasn’t been a priority and societies need to increase their efforts to provide more funding for research and make mental health programs for men more accessible and available.

The behavioral code which has its roots in the stereotype and expectation of men is the major factor that prevents men from seeking support. Men feel that if they seek help for the emotional issues they will be perceived as weak and less manly. Furthermore, irrational beliefs surrounding masculinity fuels the lack of interest about health and mental health issues among men. These irrational beliefs make men believe that they are not prone to mental health disorders especially depression. Additionally, risky, and violent behaviors such as alcohol and drug abuse and physical violence are more tolerated if committed by men which in turn is used to mask off emotional issues among males.

Mental health symptoms among men:

Men’s symptoms in response to the same mental health condition can be very different from women due to social and biological factors. Main mental health symptoms among men are the followings:

• Anger
• Aggressiveness
• Frustration
• Substance abuse
• Concentration issues
• Continuous worry
• High risk activities
• Unusual behaviors that could make others concerned
• Thoughts of suicide and suicide
• Physical symptoms including:
  • Changes in the level of energy and appetite
  • Body pains that are new
  • Digestive problems
  • Sleeping problems

Wellbeing promotion: some tips for men

• Enhance your relationships: improve your relationship with your spouse, partner, children, family, and friends. Develop and maintain relationships that are supportive and beneficial for the parties involved. It takes time and efforts to look after your relationship, but it is our most valuable asset.
• Improve your social life: we all need to be reminded that others are an important part of our lives. Find some friends that you can socialize, laugh, talk, and listen to each other. Regularly chat with your friends either face to face, online or on the phone. This will greatly improve your sense of loneliness. If you trust your friends, try to be open and confide in them and talk about your concerns. Speaking with friends about your concerns can greatly help you figure them out and it bring you even closer to each other.
• Mental health and physical health are intertwined, and one cannot be without the other. Take care of your physical health by proper eating, increased physical activity through regular exercise, proper sleep, implementing appropriate strategies that contribute to your general health and wellbeing.
• Understand that contrary to the popular belief, life is not all about work. Even though the societal values for men are the ones that link them to their work and the contribution to families and societies, but men need to broaden their horizon and include new interest, hobbies, and things that they can do to enjoy their lives.
• Stress management: listen to yourself and understand the pressure and identify your negativity. Worry, self-blaming, hopelessness, escaping responsibilities, blaming others are some of the signs you need to look out for. Use proper stress management techniques and work on reducing these negative thoughts to improve your overall wellbeing.
• Finally, seek help and support and don’t live with your issues and concern alone. It may be very challenging and difficult. You can manage and solve many of your problems yourself, but it is impossible to manage every problem on your own. It is important to recognize when you need help from a professional counsellor and reach out when you need it most.