Mental Health Awareness Month

The National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) participates in the awareness for mental health in May. Here at Rio Hondo, we recognize the month of May being mental Health Awareness month as well. It is important to recognize Mental Health regardless of gender and that mental health is important all year round.

It’s possible for men and women to battle with the same mental health condition at the same time. On the other hand, depending on a number of things, they can have quite different experiences.

Mental Health Gender Disparity

With the stigma attached to male mental health, many times men may disregard the signs and symptoms of mental health problems. Therefore, it is essential for males to be conscious of their mental health. It motivates men to seek therapy, which in turn lowers the chance of males taking their own lives.

The conventional gender roles and the pressures of society, many men struggle with their mental health. Men are often led to believe falsehoods about mental health. They believed they are required to exhibit “masculine” characteristics such as strength and control. They must be the breadwinner and they should depend on themselves, rather than others. Or they are required to suppress their feelings. Unfortunately, these conventional views contribute to the stigma that already exists about men’s mental health. This then prevents men from getting help when it is desperately needed.

With this, Psychology Professor Sotelo explains “I think one of those reason are just societal expectations can be quite different for men and women, depending on the context. The extent to which you can see mental health issues as a weakness or men are expected to deal with those sorts of things quietly… might cause men to bottle things up and not seek treatment.”

Mental and Physical Health

Disorders of mental health may also create physical symptoms, which men often dismiss as unimportant. Friends and family members are often the first to recognize the symptoms. They are able to see the health condition of a man since the man cannot. The causes of mental health illnesses in men and women might be quite different from one another.

Seeking Treatment

Men who battle with depression or drug use disorders are less likely to seek treatment for their conditions than women who face similar challenges. According to Mental Health America, males are less likely to seek treatment for mental health issues since the social norms in their society discourage them from doing so. Another reason guys don’t seek therapy is that they try to minimize the severity of their symptoms. Men, like women, often avoid engaging in conversation with others.

When men begin to experience signs of their mental disorders, having knowledge of men’s mental health might encourage them to seek care. However, adopting certain relatively simple adjustments to one’s way of living right now may avoid the onset of symptoms associated with mental illness.