Grief is universal, It doesn’t discriminate.
Men tend to react differently than a woman when it comes to mental health; Is it because of the social stigma?
By teaching young boys to hold in their tears, society indirectly invalidates their emotions. Unable to express their grief even to the ones they love, boys grow up to be men with bottled-up emotions that they don’t understand to deal with. In other words, men with depression. The social stigma surrounding men and their emotions are unreal. “Boys don’t cry”. You would have often heard this phrase which is used to enforce the stereotypical masculinity even in young boys. Which may result in suicidal depression as they grow up.
Women tend to experience more suicidal thinking, yet men are far more likely to commit suicide; Why? Traditional male gender roles discourage emotional expression as men are told to toughen up and that they should not ask for help. Hence men tend to hide their depression and be less likely to reach out for help for emotional problems. This is proven by researchers, as depression is diagnosed less in men because of the tendency to deny it exists in the first place.
Did you know these important facts about suicide among men?
Men have a 3.5 times higher suicide rate than women;
70% of the suicide victims are middle-aged men;
Research shows that men choose more brutal and lethal methods of suicide than women.
The World Health Organization reports that suicide represents half of all male violent deaths worldwide.
Surprisingly, success is not an antidote for suicidal depression as seen in Avicii, Robin Williams, Kurt Cobain, Chester Bennington, and many more successful people who had it all, yet succumbed to suicide.
We are all humans. Regardless of gender, We all feel at times life may bring us to our lowest point, it is at this point that we should seek help from our loved ones and people we trust, or, if needed professional help. It is not a sign of weakness as every human experience depression at some point in their life. Don’t let it get to the point of suicide. Fortunately, there are treatments available that can help men learn to cope, feel better, and get back to their usual selves. Spread awareness, shatter the social stigma. It could be your son, brother, friend, husband, or dad who could be next if we keep neglecting this situation.