Let’s talk about men’s mental health

A few years ago, I attended a workshop dedicated to discussing mental health at work. One of the speakers shared his experience with bipolar disorder. He talked about his first episode when he experiences high energy levels and believed that he was a prophet and started preaching to his family members. He would hold a copy of the holy Quran and start reading it loud and offering a strange explanation for the verses. His wife became very concerned about his behaviour and tried to convince him to go to a hospital, but he refused saying that he never felt better in his life. It took several hours of persuasion from his parents and when he went to a hospital, and he was admitted and given treatment. He talked about his recovery and how this experience changed his life and how the support from his family and colleagues gave him the strength to carry on. After a few weeks of resting, he was able to go back to work and excel in what he is doing.

According to the World Health Organization, men are more likely to commit suicide three times more than women and they are less likely to seek professional help when they have psychological problems.

Several factors such as society's expectations and traditional gender roles are behind men’s reluctance to seek help. In many societies, men are not expected to show emotions and certainly not those of sadness or hopelessness as they are considered feminine qualities. Therefore it’s not surprising that some men express their psychological distress by adopting unhealthy behaviours such as violence, addiction to drugs or alcohol, gambling, and having multiple sexual partners.

According to recent studies, men with depression may exhibit different symptoms such as irritability, sudden anger, increased loss of control, risk-taking, and aggression which are less likely to be present among women with depression. While some men experience physical symptoms such as a racing heart, discomfort in the stomach, or headache so they end up consulting their doctor about physical symptoms that are caused by their emotional distress.

This makes it difficult for doctors who are not well-trained in mental health to make the correct diagnosis and provide the most appropriate therapeutic intervention.

So what can be done to help men seek and receive appropriate care?

The first step is better education about mental health to the public and those working in the healthcare sector. Special awareness campaigns are likely to help break the stigma and address gender biases. Some countries are engaging other agencies in providing informal support such as religious leaders and work-based counsellors. Some of the most vulnerable groups who may suffer from loneliness such as the elderly who are widowed or live with minimum social support would need to be noticed and supported. Sports are a good medium to prevent mental illness and bring young men together. Inviting sportsmen who experienced mental health problems to share their experience will install hope and encourage others to seek help when they need it.

Remember, whether you are a man or a woman, you are not alone, so don’t suffer in silence.