Time to prioritise the male’s mental health

"Regardless of who you are or what you do for a living, [depression] doesn’t discriminate … The key thing I found is … especially [for] us as guys…you gotta talk about it, you’re not alone." ~Dwayne Johnson.

Good health includes a balance between the physical, mental and social wellbeing of an individual and not merely the absence of diseases or infirmities. Mental health has become an important issue in today’s world due to the breakdown in external family system and the proliferation of individualism. Mental health encompasses our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Thus, it goes beyond the absence of mental disorders. Mental health disorders and challenges is no respecter of persons. Both males and females can be affected by anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorders, bipolar disorders, etc. Nevertheless, attention given more to the mental health of children and women as compared to men.

A lot of males have been socialised believing that hiding one’s fears and anxiety is the hallmark of a true man. The prevailing societal norms, expectations and traditional roles constantly echo the belief that as a male, there is no need to talk about or seek help for mental health challenges. Hence, a lot of males do not seek help on time, consequently resulting in advanced mental health disorders and mortality. For instance, global statistics shows that suicide rates in men are just over twice as high as for women [1]. Addictions such as alcohol or drug dependence is twice as common in men as in women [2]. This clearly shows that it is time to prioritise the mental health of males now more than ever.

References

1. https://ourworldindata.org/suicide
2. https://ourworldindata.org/drug-use