The reason why you should talk about mental health and depression. Our mission at Mens Health has always been to help men become better men. Stronger men. Healthier men.
Based on science and expert opinion, our content translates dense topics into health tips that are easy to digest and act on. Little by little, the concepts are solid and effective. But overall health must be viewed holistically.
Your mental health is inseparable from your physical health. It is not a revolutionary concept, but what is surprising is the stigmatization that still surrounds men who dare to talk about their mental struggles. As we move forward as human beings, we hope to change that.
Men who talk about any kind of mental health issues can be dismissed as weak, inferior, flawed, broken men are more likely to be excluded for their honesty, rather than rewarded for their bravery. Instead of offering compassion to a neighbor, we mock, belittle, and turn a blind eye. We freely spit out the phrase “Not for men,” as if your gender was only enough to guide you through its darkest times.
Or worse yet: we respond nonchalantly: “Yes, you bastard”, then we change the subject because talking about feelings is too real or worse still too feminine.
The truth is, 9 percent of men experience depression daily. Those are many millions of men. Even if we understand what depression feels like, we rarely admit that that’s the culprit. We lie and say that we are tired or just in a bad mood. More than 3 million men fight anxiety daily. Of the 3.5 million people diagnosed as schizophrenic at the age of 30, more than 90 percent are men. An estimated 10 million men in the United States.
They will suffer from an eating disorder during their lives. Imagine the number of men who have this disorder in Mexico and nobody knows it from the male culture. We withdraw from friends and instead drown the sentences in numbing substances, one in five men will develop a dependency on alcohol during his life.
Male suicide is increasing at such an alarming rate that it has been classified as a “silent epidemic.” It is the seventh leading cause of death among men. That’s an amazing statistic if we compare it that it is below heart attacks and cancer. Dig deep into the numbers and suicide is the second most common cause of death in all age groups among men ages 10 to 39.
This macho attitude of repressing or ignoring your feelings is outdated and downright dangerous.
It’s okay to have no idea where you are going or that your life doesn’t look like Instagram, it’s okay to feel depressed, it’s okay to feel overwhelmed, it’s okay to be sad, it’s okay to be anxious, it’s okay to be afraid, it’s okay to not have everything resolved, feel a wave of uncertainty crashing into you and not knowing which way to go, or when your next breath of fresh air will arrive. These are perfectly normal feelings that every man experiences and it is okay to talk about it.
WHAT IS NOT WELL IS SUFFERING IN SILENCE
A few brave men have led the charge on mental health, exposing their difficulties to the rest of us. Singer Zayn Malik openly discussed her fight against anxiety and her battle with an eating disorder. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kevin Love wrote an op-ed titled “Everybody’s Going Through Something,” recounting his panic attacks.
When Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently revealed her battle with depression after her mother attempted suicide as a teenager, her words surprised us:
“ [It] took me a long time to realize it, but the key is not to be afraid to open up. Especially we men have a tendency to keep it a secret. No, you are not alone. “
You are not alone and all men suffer from these feelings and emotions, what you should not do is keep them and they explode within you, if you need to talk do it with close people or see a specialist – a psychologist will not reveal your problems if that It’s your fear – asking for help will make you feel better and feel like a weight is lifted off your shoulders.
At Men’s Health, we explain what you should know about depression and anxiety, how to recognize each person’s symptoms and what to do next. We will delve into the world of mood disorders in men, with the help of a certified specialist, we will explore bipolar disorder, through the lens of celebrities such as Kanye West who suffers from bipolar disorder or hip-music. hop, but the most important thing is that you understand that you should talk about it and face that person who can make you better, yourself.
Together, our voices can combat the stigma that real men don’t talk about their problems. By doing so, we can start a positive conversation to replace the long and damaging silence.