Top 10 Men’s Mental Health Facts You Should Know

Healthful Vitality | 3/19/2024 | Top 10 Men’s Mental Health Facts You Should Know.

Understanding men’s mental health facts is crucial in the provision of mental health care. With such facts it becomes easy to raise men’s mental health awareness and acknowledge of mental health problems. It also increases the probability of aiding a loved one through tough times.

Men’s mental health awareness has increased in recent decades, although many still go untreated. Every June, men’s mental health is recognized. It highlights men’s health issues and the significance of seeking care.

The daily struggles of persons with mental health disorders and their family, friends, and coworkers require this insight. This men’s mental health facts guide provides relevant information on how men suffer from mental health problems silently.

Also Read: Top 10 Reasons Why Mental Health Cases Are Growing

10 Men’s Mental Health Facts

Men’s mental health is routinely neglected. Cultural conventions and prejudices might prevent men from seeking rehabilitation or disclosing their mental health issues. However, appropriate therapy can improve your health and make you happier and more productive.

Fact1: One in five men suffer Mental Health Disorder each year

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that 19.7% of males over 18 have a mental health issue. Men have an abnormally high proportion of mental health issues, compared to 26.4% for women.

Common mental health disorders among males include:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Bipolar disorder
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

This one-in-five statistic excludes drug use problems; therefore, men’s mental health burden is significantly higher.

2. Men Underreport Mental Health Symptoms

Men with mental health issues may be more prevalent than studies show. Many experts believe males underreport mental health symptoms, which leads to a reduction in the reported cases of national mental health disorder rates.

This may also be due to men’s different mental health difficulties, which leads to our following truth.

Fact 3: Mental health symptoms vary in men

Depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms vary greatly between men and women. Most men tend to have externalizing behaviors when it comes to mental health symptoms rather than internalizing behaviors.

Externalizing conduct tends to target others and they include aggression, and impulsivity are externalizing behaviors. Internalizing behaviors include withdrawal, melancholy, and dread.

For instance, depressive males are more irritated or furious than withdrawn or melancholy. Men can suffer internalizing symptoms, but their symptoms may be communicated differently, leading them to assume they don’t have a mental health disorder.

Fact 4: Men Are Less Likely to Seek Out Help

Men with mental health issues are much less likely to seek treatment, according to decades of studies. Only 40% of males with mental illness received treatment in 2021, compared to 51.7% of women.

There are several reasons men don’t seek treatment. However, tailored therapy can lessen symptoms and frequently cure most mental health conditions.

Fact 5: Stigma and stereotypes can prevent treatment

Cultural stigma and misconceptions may discourage males from seeking therapy. Cultural norms and stigmas might deter men from seeking treatment. Men are told many things about manhood. Some frequent ideas are:

• Men don’t cry.
• A man solves his issues alone.
• Men should be self-sufficient.
• Asking for aid is weak.

These misconceptions can destroy men’s mental health and hinder them from initiating evidence-based treatment that can transform their life.

Fact 6: There are High Suicide Cases among Men

Men are nearly four times as likely to commit suicide than women, a terrible mental health reality. Due to not disclosing mental health problems, men’s mental health issues often go unreported.

Men often avoid therapy due to stigma. They therefore engage in externalizing behavior which leads to rage and aggression, thereby increase suicide risk.

Fact 7: Mental and physical health are linked in men

Men’s mental and physical health are linked, a fact that is less known by many people. A mental health disorder can lower your energy, increase your risk of medical issues, and make sleep difficult.

Physical health also affects mental wellness. Men may avoid mental health issues with a proper diet, exercise, and sleep regimen. However, poor physical health or serious sickness can cause mental health issues.

Fact 8: Men Face Unique Care Barriers

Along with stigma and prejudices, males encounter specific care hurdles. A family breadwinner may not be able to afford inpatient therapy.

Men in cultures having male stereotypes may be judged by other men, even if they don’t believe in them. Men may fear condemnation from male coworkers, friends, family, and spouses for getting treatment.

Fact 9: Substance Use Disorders Are More Common in Men

Men have greater incidences of drug use problems despite less mental health issues. Men also wait longer to seek treatment for substance use disorders, which can lead to withdrawal and bodily injury.

Fact 10: Recovery Is Possible

Finally, therapy works and recovery is attainable. Most men’s mental health issues may be treated and many will experience total remission.

Even without absolute remission, you can recover. Some define recovery as no longer having mental illness symptoms. For others, it means increasing quality of life, learning appropriate symptom management, or regaining functioning lost to mental health issues.

Most individuals cannot recuperate alone. Men’s mental health issues worsen if left untreated. Getting evidence-based therapy is the greatest approach to recover and live happier and healthier.

Common Mental Health Problems in Men

Depression

Perhaps the most frequent mental health concern in guys is depression. Depression affects 5.5% of young adult men, according to CDC data. About half the same amount of women her age.

Men are diagnosed with depression less commonly than women. Doctors sometimes miss depression in young men because their symptoms are less characteristic of major depressive illness.

Anxiety

Common male mental health issues include anxiety. Men’s anxiety problems include:

• Panic disorder
• Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Social anxiety
• Phobias

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Another typical male mental health concern is PTSD. About 60% of males encounter trauma, usually from accidents, physical attack, conflict, or witnessing death or injuries. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that over two-thirds of adolescents have encountered trauma, which can affect young adult mental health.

Male Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar illness, formerly manic depression, causes mood and activity swings. Male bipolar disorder symptoms usually appear between 15 and 24 and impact 3% of the US population.

Bipolar in young males is rarer than other mental illnesses. The National Alliance for Mental Illness classifies 83% of bipolar disorder patients as severe.

How men are affected by mental health

Globally, men of different races, ethnicities, and income levels shun psychological assistance.  Male suicides are twice as common as female suicides, according to World Health Organization. High-income countries have the highest male suicide rates.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 80% of suicides in the US are male. Males commit suicide four times more than females.

The group Mental Health America reports that mental health practitioners identify depression more commonly in women than males. The group also reports that over 6 million American males have depressive symptoms each year, most of whom go misdiagnosed.

In a 2021 investigation by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that situational pressures contribute to male suicides, many of whom have no mental health background. Men are less likely than women to obtain official mental health support.

Why men’s mental health is not taken seriously

A man’s health, particularly his mental one, has come under more pressure due to conformity to the ideologies that depict men as strong emotional individuals who seldom need support. This is not only a problem when it comes to mental health but also causes difficulties in assistance and therapy.

1. Expectations of the society and conventional roles of men and women

There are still many cultures and places in the world that expect manhood to be defined this way: strong, independent, and sheltered from displays of emotions. Such catchy phrases as “man up” or “boys don’t cry” make people, especially men, to believe, that being vulnerable is the worst thing. These cultural demands do not allow males to go through treatment for their psychological disorders or talk about their mental problems, which contributes to the concealment of their feelings.

 2. Stigma and Views on Vulnerability

Culture plays a significant role when it comes to the issue of mental health since it is considered a taboo for people to seek medical help because they consider it as the sign of a weak or an incompetent person. This is compounded for men by culture, which holds the notion that mental health problems should not exist in a man.

 3. Insufficient Support and Resources

Mental health support systems and the corresponding services may not adequately consider male needs. Accordingly, it has been noted that many mental health programs and the available resources may be oriented to women rather than considering the difficulties faced by men.

 4. Fear of Judgement

The male population that does seek help will do this with the expectation that they will be judged by their peers or be outcast. This makes the men feel as though they will be seen as less competent or capable, which in turn, dissuades them from coming forward about their struggles with their mental health.

The first aspect dealing with social isolation enhances mental health complications and continuously feeds the loop of silence and negligence.

Men’s mental health statistics worldwide

Many mental health illnesses are less likely to be discussed and treated by men. Due to this, they are diagnosed less often. The numbers can increase awareness of men’s mental health, motivate men to seek treatment, and validate their experiences.

Statistics according to Mental Health America suggests that:

• Men make around 10% of bulimia and anorexia patients, although they are less likely to seek treatment.
• Over 6 million men experience depression annually, yet it’s commonly underdiagnosed.
• Over 3 million males suffer panic disorder, agoraphobia, or other phobias.
• Equal numbers of men and women suffer from bipolar disorder, which affects 2.3 million individuals. For men, it starts between 16 and 25.
• Schizophrenia is a primary cause of disability. Nearly 3.5 million Americans have been diagnosed, 90% of whom are men by 30.
• Men receive 36% of NHS psychological therapy referrals. Men are less likely to seek mental health care.
• Male suicides account for 75% of deaths, and are three times more prevalent than female suicides.

Why Men’s Mental Health is Important

Although mental diseases are more common in women, males with them are less likely to obtain treatment or diagnosis. There are various factors, including pressure on men to “man up” or “tough it out.” Men who speak up are considered as weak or unmanly.

Depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues in males are normal and not shameful. Culture, parenting, race, and financial class can also affect men’s mental health. Nearly 1 in 10 males experience depression or anxiety, yet fewer than half receive treatment, and more than 4 times as many men as women commit suicide each year.

Men and women have different mental disorder symptoms. To seek the correct support and therapy, you or someone you love must recognize the indicators of a mental disease. Treatment is more successful when started early. In conclusion, appreciating men’s mental health facts is necessary in improving men’s mental health. It should be accomplished through changing the social paradigms of male gender roles and removing the stigma that threatens the possibility of talking about and seeking help for mental issues. Despite this awareness, many men remain in silence because they are forced to uphold the masculinity stereotype that portrays anyone willing to show emotions as weak.