Mental health for men

Mental health for men

As with many things, there is a huge difference between how men and women are treated, especially regarding mental health issues. Someone who speaks out about this is Joey from Concealed Voices. He was so kind to tell something about it here.

Over to Joey:

I ask myself every day – why is there a stigma towards men’s mental health?

I opened up my feelings back in January in the hope to encourage other men to speak out and realise there’s no shame in admitting your flaws. I’ve received nothing but love and support from people from all walks of life. However, I rarely get messages from men. Why are they hiding in the shadows? It’s a question I don’t think I’ll ever fully answer. Maybe men read my blog but do it discreetly, because a majority still consider talking about their mental health as some ridiculous taboo. Unfortunately, that mindset is a contributing factor to the rise in men committing suicide. I hope my blog will break down barriers one day but it’s going to be a long journey.

I do think there is a missing link between raising awareness and taking action. We see it all the time on TV nowadays with celebrities speaking out on the subject. I do believe some are genuine with their words, but others will jump on the bandwagon for a paycheque. It’s easy to read a script but it won’t make someone with anxiety any more likely to find a sudden surge of confidence to dial a number and seek help.

The government continue to promote different schemes but I feel nothing will change unless it’s compulsory to educate children (and maybe even classes at college/university) on the psychology & science behind mental health behaviour. You can’t just pump money into different projects & expect results. There needs to be an overhaul to the system. It’s time the country comes together but it starts with the people we elect into parliament.

Education

As Joey just mentioned, a lot of education about mental health is missing. Many people have no idea what their symptoms can mean or how to deal with strong feelings. That is why there was a project to educate children in high school about psychology. Another organisation that is fighting against the stigma around mental health is EFPSA through their Mind the Mind campaign. They send psychology students (volunteers) to schools around Europe to talk about mental health.

If you are experiencing issues yourself, we urge you to seek professional help. You can contact your general practitioner or look for a psychologist near you. In case you think this is too much for now, there are also some help lines you can call. Here are some in The Netherlands, the U.K. and the U.S. you can call, but there are also telephone lines like this in other countries. There are also often lines that are specific to certain disorders.

The Netherlands:

De Luisterlijn: 0900 0767

113 zelfmoordpreventie: 0900 0113

The United Kingdom:

MIND: 0300 123 3393

Rethink Mental Illness: 0300 5000 927

The United States:

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): 1-800-950-6264

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): 866 615-6464

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

Both me and Joey find it very important to share this information and we both hope it will help you if you are in pain, but you are too afraid to ask. You are not alone and it is okay to have problems, everyone does and many people struggle with the same as you.

If you have tips for other people coming to this blog, please share your tips in the comments below and if you know of a friend in need, please pass on this information to them. If we can help each other, we can overcome the stigma!

Lots of love,

Joey and Lisa

Home » Mind » Mental health for men

Hi there! My name is Lisa and I am the author of Mind and Body Intertwined. I have a bachelor's and a master's degree in psychology. During my study, I found out how much the mind and the body are connected and it fascinated me, which is why I started my blog. Would you like to join me on this little corner of the world?

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[…] dad. That does not and will never make you a ‘simp’. And it’s even a necessity to the mental health of a man to express his emotions! In my book, that’s just what being a grown-up means and it has […]

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[…] has all kinds of this amazing content on there. Want to read more guest posts here? Read all about men’s mental health with Concealed […]

The Queensights
3 years ago

I guess the stigma is coming from toxic masculinity, where men should act touch and not show weakness. We forget that they are human, too. Thanks for bringing this up.

Lisa | Mind and Body Intertwined

I agree, it’s probably coming from a place where having emotions is not ‘cool’, or something. Thank you for reading this!

Rhi // The Violet Journal
Rhi // The Violet Journal
3 years ago

Thanks for this post! It’s such an important discussion.

Nyxinked
3 years ago

This is a fantastic and much needed post. Men certainly don’t talk about their mental health as they should.
Thank you for sharing.

Blue to Bliss
Blue to Bliss
3 years ago

Great collaboration between the two of you. This is a really important topic and the more it is discussed the less stigmatized it will become.

Aislinn Short
3 years ago

Thank you so much for sharing! This stigma needs to end, it breaks my heart to hear of men suffering from depression and anxiety themselves but feel the need to be the “provider” and “strong” one is incredibly harmful. We’re all in this together and I’m sure we all have experienced a form of depression at some point in our life. We all need to be there to support one another, and by we I mean those of all genders, races, and ethnicities.

Mind and Body Intertwined
Mind and Body Intertwined
3 years ago
Reply to  Aislinn Short

Definitely! This issue stretches out across many ‘groups’ that feel like talking about emotions is a weakness, whereas emotions are actually something we could share!

One Way to Wanderland
3 years ago

This is a great post, on such an important topic. I definitely agree that education from an early age in schools could have such a profound effect if boys are taught from a young age that they should be talking about their feelings rather than holding them in.

Mind and Body Intertwined
Mind and Body Intertwined
3 years ago

Thank you so much! And I think so to! And to add to it, it would also be helpful for making people understand what it’s like and to help better, even if they’ll never encounter it themselves!

Love, Em
3 years ago

Thank you for sharing this really important post! I think it is so important to remember that men suffer from mental health issues too, and that the stigma around it needs to be eliminated. Thank you for sharing those hotlines too, I know that will help a lot of people

Em x

http://www.loveemblog.com