The Dire State of Men’s Mental Health

The week from 15 June to June 21 is celebrated as Men's Health Week to bring awareness around health issues that affect men and build measures and solutions for the same. Here I am going to talk about men's mental health. 

Men in our society are often "told" to shut their feelings in and bring their voices out. The thoughts of earning well and helping the family and constantly being "manly enough" on all occasions, is inculcated in males at such a deep level that they start to think this is the solid and sole truth of life. On the other hand, the queer folx who identify themselves as men have added burden on their mental health because they are constantly criticized for not being able to match up to the "masculinity" of heterosexual men. 

Patriarchy, societal expectations, and taboos around mental health have together led to the bleakness of the state of men's mental health in India.

• Boys and men comprise two-thirds of those who die by suicide worldwide, yet are 12% less likely than women to seek out therapy during times of emotional distress.
• The prevalence rate for substance use disorders is more than thrice as high in men than in women.
• Around 53% of sexual abuse incidents in India each year are crimes against boys, but boys are 89% less likely than girls to reach out for professional support after they have been victims of sexual violence.
•  Men are also more likely to be diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder than women.

 

Gender stereotypes regarding proneness to emotional problems in women and alcohol problems in men, appear to reinforce social stigma and constrain help seeking along stereotypical lines. The patriarchal structure of our society excuses aggressive behavior in men encourages substance use as masculine and normalized and prevents men from seeking help for mood disorders because men are 'supposed to be' strong and not have any weaknesses. In men, any form of emotional expression that reveals their vulnerability is discouraged. It is not a surprise then, that a lot of men don’t seek therapy, even in times of desperate need.

Men cry, suffer from mental health issues, have feelings, are subjected to violence, and are raped. Men can or cannot be shy, they can dislike or like makeup and sports.

And yet, they are told to like what they might not like. And yet they are told to "be" who they might not even be.

There’s also a dearth of male psychologists and therapists. Psychology as a field has become increasingly women-centric all over the world. We have a long way to go in terms of attaining gender parity in the profession. To attain that, we must first recognize the gender disparity that exists currently and take steps to make this field and profession more accessible to men.

Societal norms and lack of consistent and inclusive research do not just give us an inaccurate picture of the reality, but also prevent policy building and law-making that would provide for the needs of males who need support for their mental health issues. The better and more accurate statistics we have, the better we can create policies in the workplace, in academic and medical settings, that cater to mental health issues. But unfortunately, that’s not happening.

On a systematic level, we need companies to consider mental health as legitimate issues that need to be addressed. We need schools to educate kids and encourage conversations around mental health. Rape and labor laws need to be worded more carefully and made more inclusive. And on a personal level, we need to make a habit to regularly reach out to all the men in our lives and check in with them. We, as a society need to introspect.

Let's make the change by being the change. 

Sources: WHO, Nimhans, News 18