Health conditions, be it physical or mental health, are neither gender nor age-specific in nature. The myth that women are more susceptible or vulnerable to health conditions as opposed to men itself has no basis. However, it may have a lot to do with cultural and social conditioning. The statistics on men’s mental health shows that men suffer from mental health issues as much as women, and even more so when compared to women for certain mental health conditions.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States indicates that in 2019, men in the United States died by suicide at a rate 3.7 times greater than that of women.
The Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India 2021 reports a 72.5-to-27.5 male-to-female ratio of suicide victims. This means that there are more men than women who have died by suicide. Over 73,900 more men than women committed suicide in 2021. This ratio difference persists across all 18+ age-groups and social status.
In another study in the United Kingdom (UK), private healthcare Priory, commissioned a survey on 1000 men in the country. The results found that 77% of the respondents suffered with symptoms of common mental health conditions like anxiety, stress or depression. However, 40% of these men have never spoken to anyone about their mental health. Their biggest reasons were that it was too embarrassing to speak about or that there is a negative stigma. In fact, the survey also revealed that 40% of men will only seek help if they possess thoughts of suicide or self-harm. Data from the Office for National Statistics in the UK also highlighted that three-quarters of registered suicide deaths in 2020 were men.
Hence, data from just these three major countries already show us that men also face mental health issues and are more likely to take extreme measures. So, we need to do away with stigmas about men’s mental health and understand that everyone can experience mental health issues.
Common signs in men facing mental health challenges include:
- Anger issues
- Substance abuse
- Heightened anxiety
- Increased or decreased libido
- Low immunity
- Depressive symptoms like helplessness, hopelessness, sadness
- Inclined towards high-risk activities
- Impulsive decision patterns
- Overthinking and negative thinking patterns
- Emotional disconnect
As much it is important for men to emotionally regulate themselves, it is also important for them to develop the ability to confide in each other. Each gender has their language which helps them to relate well with each other showing not only empathy but compassion too.
Due to cultural and social conditioning, the mental make-up of men and women differs in certain ways. This offers a reason to support your tribe not only logically but emotionally too.
Emotional intelligence has been a subject of importance in workspace and statistically exercising emotional intelligence leads to better outcomes. Emotional intelligence is the ability to be considerate and compassionate while being productive and practical. The same emotional intelligence can be applied in tough times or rough phases where one chooses to show the same compassion to self and ask for support.
Sometimes, logical reasoning is not the solution we need at the moment. Instead, emotional support and people having our back while we go through that tough phase is what we might need the most. Emotional support comes in the form of nurturing energy that gives a sense of calm and acceptance of yourself as an individual.
Having your support system with the same gender as much with people of the other gender is key in coping well with pressing issues at personal or professional levels.
In the next part we will focus on building a support system and developing emotional intelligence.
With our in-house counsellors, Ms. Harshali Kotekar (hr2@executiveship.com) and Ms. Glenda D’Silva (welfare2@samundra.com), rest assured that all conversations remain confidential. They are here to listen to your thoughts and feelings without judgement, so please feel free to schedule a chat with them.
