While mental health is the most essential requirement for well-being and high quality of life, mental illness has become an intractable menace in society.

Mental illness is a general term for a group of illnesses creating misery and affecting a person’s thoughts, perception, feelings and behavior. It is a vital aspect of overall well-being encompassing emotional, psychological and social aspects. Men may experience mental health issues differently than women and generally face barriers to seek help. This makes it more deadly and affects every activity of daily living, work, relationships, personal appearance and multiple health areas.

Types of Mental Health Issues in Men

1. PTSD

A common occurrence in men stemming from the witnessing of disturbing and/or dangerous events. These include: combat in war, violence, accidents, assault and natural disasters just to mention but a few. It can in turn result in: distrust, intrusive memories (i.e. frequent flashbacks and nightmares), emotional detachment/ numbness which makes it difficult to feel joy or connect with others, suicidal ideation, avoidance behaviors (including people, places or activities that were once a favorite or that remind them of the trauma.)

Approximately 60% of men ae affected by PTSD. Where women become jittery or anxious as a response, men tend to lash out and become aggressive or even take to abusing drugs and alcohol.

2. Depression

While this may be common in both sexes, it is important to look out for a variety of symptoms.

These include:

• Sadness or irritability most of the time
• Focusing becomes difficult
• Oversleeping
• Insomnia
• Isolation even from those formerly close
• Shifts in appetite
• Somatic symptoms-They present in physical form such as: pain, fatigue. Usually have an underlying medical cause that may not be fully explained.
• Guilt
• Hopelessness
• Poor self-worth
• Suicidal thoughts and loss of interest in life are common place

3. Uncommon foci of attention in women but common in men:

• Body image disorders or eating disorders
• Counting calories and an excessive tendency to work out
• Body Dysmorphia Disorder (BDD): paying an unusual high amount of attention to muscle development; extreme obsession with sex organ size, hair and skin

4. Bipolar Depression

Characterized with symptoms of depression together with mania. With the person becoming highly euphoric and feeling energetic.

Other symptoms include:

• Being easily distractible
• Excessive talking
• Increased speed of thoughts and words
• Wakefulness for consecutive days
• Making grandiose plans
• Engaging in risky behavior

Binge drinking is twice as common in men and alcohol is more frequently used in men before committing suicide.

Causes of Mental Health in Men

• Separation
• Divorce
• Relationship Problems
• Financial Stress
• Pressures associated with workplace
• Not having productive or paying work
• Illness
• Isolation
• Becoming a Father
• Drug and/or alcohol abuse

Challenges

• Cultural Expectation

Socially constructed norms of masculinity coupled with expectations of being strong and self-reliant are becoming more and more insidious. More often than not, men are socialized to appear strong and suppress emotions. “Be a man!” they say. This contributes to a man keeping to themselves and reluctant to seek help and support. In turn, this causes them to exhibit outwardly directed behaviors. Instead of internalizing feeling like sadness and fear, they express them with anger and aggression.

• Stigma

They feel that just as they would judge one of their own for describing such symptoms, they themselves will also be judged.

• Difficulty Recognizing Symptoms

Having a hard time realizing and accepting the symptoms related to various mental health issues.

• Workplace Culture

Internal communications should emphasize on the freedom of men to talk to their peers or those in safeguarding roles.

It is important to have information on posters and intranets including messaging around confidentiality and the lack of consequences.

Creation of well-being rooms.

Why Mental Illness in Men is Different

Men find it hard to speak mainly because they hate to admit weakness. Having to talk about how they feel and not being able to handle it, especially to a therapist is considered “a woman’s” thing and is equated to being too weak to handle their own problems. On the other hand, mental illness cannot simply be wished away neither can you ignore it and hope that things suddenly get better. If left unchecked, the symptoms become severe and eat at one’s ability to live a full normal life with productivity deteriorating. In some cases their sanity and their will to live are severely impacted and suicide starts to look very appealing.

How to Help

Encouraging men to bring up disturbing symptoms to trusted individuals and helping them find alternative ways to express feelings. Taking a time-out, practicing deep breathing or even simply counting to ten can go a long way.

Another helping factor is guiding them through stress management, encouraging self-care and healthy habits, which can be done while making arrangements for regular times away from stressful situations.

Teach them a healthier way to pass time while keeping a keen eye. This is to ensure they do not hurt themselves or others during acute episodes and helping them deal before they can learn to handle themselves without supervision.

Additional help if needed can be offered through our mental health professionals. Feel free to check through our contact details on our dashboard.

We are here for you and are ready to help. Our space is a safe space