The pressure to not express certain emotions, in fear of being called a girl or “too feminine,” leads to mental health problems including depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, men are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide across the world. As a boy grows up hearing those phrases over and over, they can often tend to raise their own boys in the same way. This leads to a continuous cycle of toxic masculinity, which leads to a whole other world of problems.
Obviously, there are various aspects that could contribute to that statistic, but the extremely high standards set for men in terms of being masculine are definitely one of them.
Though over the last decade we have made outstandingly positive strides forward, men’s mental health still remains undervalued and is still a taboo subject. Men hardly ever ask for help, even though they might be experiencing the same mental health problems like (anxiety and depression and so on).
Guys think they should be ‘the guy who finishes everything’. They think that they shouldn’t show any of their emotion and must just carry on with whatever they feel. Mental health illness never leave us, regardless of our gender. But men are not able to ask for help when they are not feeling well Among the main factors to consider here is often the stigmatization that is thought to be linked to mental health issues.
Frequently this happens as they think themselves not having a mental health issue. They’re experiencing ‘a little bit’ of an issue, and they can manage it on their own. They don’t want to make others feel uncomfortable serving as a burden, they don’t want to bore their friends with their emotions and they don’t want to be judged.
What are the symptoms of depression among males?
It is not easy to identify the symptoms of depression in men as the society has specific expectations about how men should deal with and show their emotions.
If you are a man struggling with mental health problems, you might notice that you:
● Be sad, depressed or unambitious (especially in the morning time).
● Feel hopeless, pessimistic
● Everything is monotonous, even things that you used to like.
● I am going to isolate myself from people and that will lead to me losing touch with my friends
● Can’t concentrate
● Batteries in the energy levels
● All of a sudden you feel as if you do not matter anymore or you feel guilty for something that you had nothing to do with.
● Have problems sleeping
● Low or No interest in sex
● Comfort eat or I don’t eat
● The thoughts that you have about self-harm or suicide start to become apparent.
How to detect that he is suffering mentally?
This might probably surprise you that a man becomes unstable when he is suffering from mental illness. Also a mentally ill man can have the issues below
● Drugs use or drinking alcohol
● Loss of control
● Somewhat quieter and more of a loner than normal
● Becoming uninterested in appearance (not shave, wash hair and dress)
● Often have difficulty paying attention and sometimes do not get things right at work.
● Irritability or anger
● Risky behaviour, such as gambling and reckless sexual behaviour, is another factor.
● Aggression
Summary
The fact that this problem is completely ignored is unacceptable and should be an embarrassment to us all. If we continue to overlook it, it will develop to be a bigger problem and cause more problems later in the future.
You can help with this issue by defending men and women who, as both of their mental health problems, are valid.
