“We’re human too” is a phrase that many men silently identify with, as the commonalities of their unfortunate mental health issues often remain undiagnosed and unrepresented. This claim was made by a DSC student named Sabian Evans. He describes his mental health as “an internal battle going on inside my mind.” Another DSC student, Dawson Taylor, says that “a lot of the time men are neglected when it comes to mental health, and the psyche behind it is that men are just supposed to let go. »
In doing these interviews on this heavy topic, I discovered how men feel the need to suffer in silence because of the things they were raised to believe by the men in their lives and the roles society places them in. has placed. and women, society often tells women what they should be, like being beautiful and kind. Then you compare what society tells men that they must have certain things to be worthy of a woman, those things being things like money, a car, and a well-paid job.
Social media can also play an important role in mental health. “If they (strangers on social media) don’t like it, or if someone responded something mean… they care about their opinion.” says Joseph Cantens, men’s basketball coach at DSC. So, social networks “have an impact on your mental health,” he continues.
When it comes to mental health, Taylor says finding hobbies, eating a healthy diet, exercising frequently, sleeping properly and staying hydrated can help improve mental state. “Talking more realistically, having a good support system in place,” he says. “If you are close to your family, keep that connection close. If this is not really the case, it is very helpful to seek out the right friends, whether in the workplace or in the classroom.
The various prejudices against men’s mental health are extremely prevalent in today’s society. society, like crying, shows signs of weakness. “Young boys are taught that you have to bottle up your emotions and that this is what it is and that you have to be a man about it, but I think that’s really stupid,” Evans says. He also mentions how important it is to learn that “it’s okay to let it out, when you keep it in and bottle it up, you’ll soon explode.”
One thing to remember is that it’s okay to not be okay. Pain and sorrow are not something to be joked with or something to be hidden. Not being well is part of life, it’s part of learning. Suicide is also very common among men. They are taught so many things that they must suffer in the peace of mind. That they’re not worth it if they don’t deliver, fight, or succeed.
On a daily basis, we never know how many men in our lives suffer, want to tear their faces off and scream at the world, only to remain silent. The pain many feel is insurmountable and some choose to end their lives. In 2022, the number of male suicides was 39,255 and female suicides was 10,194, according to a CDC estimate.
As a community, we need to start supporting the men in our lives. No one can ever know what’s going on in someone’s head until it’s too late, when the damage is done and the pain stops, then starts again. This article is in memory of all those men in our lives who could and do suffer from any signs of mental health, and all those men we have lost to suicide. We see you and we hear you, you are human and you are loved.
Photo by Ash Guitard.
Photo by Emily Borbidge.
Photo by Emily Borbidge.
