Mental Health in Men: Why So Taboo?

Finally we have reached that point in time where it is becoming more socially acceptable to openly discuss mental health, with more people now than ever opening up about their battles with mental illness. However, there is one major topic that is still proving a struggle to become more comfortable talking about, and that is the issue of men and their mental health. Although 'men's mental health month' isn't for a long time yet all the way in November, it is still a constant problem that is faced all year around and so I felt it would be a good topic to discuss on this blog.

Firstly, as a female writing this I can't even begin to fully comprehend the subject of mental health in men and why it is such a taboo compared to mental health in women, but I have unfortunately first-hand witnessed the detrimental effects that are caused by men not being candid with their internal struggles. Men have provided many reasons for why they don't like to talk about their mental health, with the most common rationale being that there is a negative stigma of sorts surrounding the issue, as men have been taught by society that they are supposed to appear strong and not vulnerable, and so they hide their true feelings to upkeep their masculine facade. Because of this forced stereotype, research has shown that within the past year men will have been much less likely to have received any form of treatment for mental health issues, but distressingly, they are three times more likely than women to die by suicide. Startling statistics such as this are enough to prove that there is a serious problem today that needs to be tackled once and for all. 

Another common worry that many men feel is that they have no one to talk to about what they go through, as they don't feel entirely comfortable talking to a GP as the problem is not a physical one, and they fear being seen as a time-waster or a burden. However, there are several organisations that men can turn to where they can have their problems discussed in full confidentiality. For example, there is CALM which stands for Campaign Against Living Miserably, which was initially set up in response to the fast growing rate of suicides in men. There is also the Men's Health Forum that looks at men's overall general health, but has an entire section dedicated to mental health.

Many men have also stated that they fail to recognise the well-known symptoms of mental health issues within themselves due to a lack of basic education on the topic. The physical symptoms typically associated with mental illness can include a sharp increase in irritability and aggressiveness, difficulty sleeping or alternatively sleeping too much, misusing drugs and alcohol repeatedly, and a lack of concentration. 

So, despite the fact that we as a society are now finally talking more freely about mental health, we still have a long way to go before total acceptance of the issue is achieved. In this day and age with the new generations pushing consistently for gender equality, it can be overlooked sometimes that men are still not at the same level as women for perhaps some of the most important issues we face in life.