Men’s Mental Health

[Maninder_R]

Social Isolation:

Social isolation is a rising issue amongst men of all ages. A huge part of this is due to the societal expectations for men to be stoic and self-sufficient, rather than outwardly emotional. Conversely, it is accepted by society for women to express their emotions and be vocal about their negative feelings. In addition, women tend to build stronger social networks which gives themselves a support system in difficult times. Men thus feel emasculated by their need when suffering from loneliness, isolation or sadness, as it is perceived as feminine to suffer from these feelings. This translates into being embarrassed and unable to reach out to others as it would solidify what they are feeling. 

This, however, is not restricted to men alone. Anyone can feel isolated if they do not feel they have anyone to open-up to, but the social pressure to adhere to masculine values makes this a more eminent issue for men. It is also difficult to measure the extent due to the hesitance for men to admit their isolation. 

The prominence of social isolation was exacerbated in the pandemic as boys and men who relied on school or work to fulfil their social needs were suddenly without it. Though many people felt isolated by the pandemic, men suffered more than others who had networks they could reach out to when feeling low.

 Toxic Masculinity:

Like femininity, masculinity is a construct that can be drawn in many ways. Toxic masculinity does not imply that men are toxic or that masculinity is toxic. Rather, the concept refers to machismo and stereotypes of the “traditional” man, that is, of the man as being dominant in society. This masculinity is said to be toxic because it offers a narrow image of what it is to be a man and is embedded in a culture that overvalues autonomy in boys, normalizes aggression and bullying, and expects men to always prove their masculinity. This type of socialization also produces conflict between male and female roles, breeds homophobia, and encourages competition among men

There remains a stigma regarding mental health for some people, despite significant advancements in increasing awareness of mental health disorders as medical conditions that require professional care and treatment, just like diabetes, heart disease, or cancer.

Because of this, men who are suffering from mental health problems could feel embarrassed to disclose it. Many people have been forced to battle on their own or give up because of the challenges brought on by the lack of treatment due to a lack of understanding that mental health issues are the product of personal flaws or weak will.

Anxiety:

Anxiety is a problem that affects many young people, but even though statistically more women are affected, it is more often men that allow it to spiral out of control, through refusing to seek help and turning to misguided coping mechanisms rather than simply opening-up to trusted individuals. Most young men see it as a weakness to appear vulnerable, and it is understandable that the fear of others seeing you differently after admitting to mental health problems is off-putting, but this attitude is a clear contributing factor to the horrific statistic that the biggest killer of men younger than 45 is suicide. It is therefore vital to gain inspiration from those people who are brave enough to speak openly about their struggles and follow in their footsteps. As awareness of mental health grows, the meaning of bravery is gradually evolving away from the traditional, macho perspective, as people start to realise the willingness to be vulnerable and emotive takes more courage than hiding behind a dishonest exterior.  

One of HPE’s lead mental health first aiders, Graham Benton, embodies this definition of bravery, having openly admitted to suffering from anxiety and more specifically panic disorder and health anxiety. He opens-up about his three major panic attacks and how the history of heart attacks running in his family has made him more aware of his mortality in a video recorded for the ECC in 2020. Hearing a self-proclaimed ‘alpha male’ who appears so confident and sure of himself talk about his internal struggles is inspiration to anyone to simply offload any problems you’re experiencing to others and is proof that it is OK not to be OK sometimes. The video is well worth a watch, the link is below along with a selection of quotes that stood out: 

 Early Careers Mental Health Awarness Talk-Graham Benton.mp4 (sharepoint.com)