Did you know, that although more women are diagnosed with common mental health problems than men, the rate of male suicide is significantly higher? This suggests that men are suffering with mental illness more than we are aware, and are not getting (or asking for) the help they need.
Statistics on men with mental illness are difficult to fully know, because many cases go unreported or undiagnosed. I believe this is because of the dangerous idea we teach boys from a young age.
"Men don't cry." "Man up." "Don't be such a girl." These things are used with such a negative undertone, in response to boys expressing normal human emotions, that it implies that these emotions aren't appropriate for them to be experiencing. Society forces boys and men to believe, that what they're feeling isn't valid, based solely off of their gender. This later evolves into a hidden shame around male mental health warriors, which should not exist.
For men under the age of 35, suicide is one of the leading causes of death and 74%, or roughly 4/5 suicides are men.
The fact is, mental illness affects anyone. No one chooses it, yet no one is immune to the possibility. This includes people of all genders, races, statuses, sexualities, religions and ages. We need to erase the idea within our society, that it is somehow a taboo thing, for men to experience pain, depression, anxiety, and hurt.
If you are a man (cis, or trans) suffering from mental illness, I want to tell you something very important. Your masculinity is not defined by how much you can keep to yourself. You are allowed to feel, you are allowed to cry, you are allowed to reach out. Seeking help does not make you weak, in fact it takes a lot of courage and strength to do so. You deserve recovery and what you going through is valid.
-Tori Lynn
Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash
No comments:
Post a Comment