Men's Mental Health

Men's Mental Health

Over the course of their lives, men are exposed to millions of messages that encourage them to suppress their emotions. These messages can look like caregivers telling young men to “man up” or “suck it up” when they’re upset, or society idolizing men who are “macho”, “fit”, “competitive”, “rich”, “womanizers”, and “breadwinners”. These messages can create unrealistic expectations for men while also teaching them to suppress their feelings out of fear of being judged or being perceived as weak. The result is men are left feeling not good enough and also too afraid and embarrassed to ask for help.

Expressing emotions is a human need… yet many men have learned that showing emotion and asking for help are signs of weakness so they would rather bottle up their feelings and manage them alone. Sometimes lifelong suppression of these feelings can leave men feeling out of control, overwhelmed, angry, and deeply ashamed. Men often seek out counselling when they’ve had difficulties in their relationship(s), troubles at work, financial stressors, historical or current trauma, or are experiencing mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Men experience mental health difficulties differently than women due to societal attitudes that men do not show or feel emotions. This however is far from the case and research shows that men who internalize the stigma of mental health and suppress their emotions were more likely to suffer from severe mental illness ( Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8832600/). Given this unique barrier for men, it is important that counselling includes an understanding of the unique issues that men face and how to combat these messages to allow men to begin their healing journey.

Mental Health Issues we can help with: 

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Shame and Guilt
• Anger and Emotional Reactivity
• Impulsivity
• Relationship Issues
• Feelings of low self-worth
• Trauma
• Addictions
• Grief and Loss
• Workplace Issues/Conflict

Signs that men might ignore that could indicate mental health issues: 

• Chronic pain;
• Muscle tension and soreness;
• Chronic fatigue and sleep difficulties;
• Headaches and/or migraines;
• Withdrawal from relationships and interests;
• Keeping things in, shutting others out, and avoiding conversations with others;
• Quick temper, emotional reactivity, and increased hostility towards others;
• Increased use of drugs and/or alcohol;
• Dissociation using video games, binge watching TV, scrolling on social media, cannabis, gambling, and food;
• Difficulties with boredom, needs constant distraction or stimulation to feel ok;
• High-risk activities like speeding, womanizing, cheating, fighting etc;
• Dysfunctional health patterns like overworking, not sleeping, binge eating, overspending, etc;
• Change in sexual interest or performance;
• Digestive problems like irritable bowel syndrome;
• Difficulties with maintaining positive relationships.