The month of November brings several different vibes. With temperatures starting to change and fall coming to an end, winter is beginning. Thanksgiving is swiftly approaching, bringing the warm feeling of good food and time spent with loved ones. This transition to the holiday season often allows us to forget about a much less discussed facet of November: Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month.
A large event that takes place during this time of year is “Movember”, a charity movement intended to bring attention to men’s health issues. One facet of Movember is attempting to spread awareness for physical diseases that specifically affect men, such as prostate and testicular cancer. The other and much less discussed issue attempting to be raised in the public forums is men’s mental health awareness.
In American society, as well as in many other Western countries, men are expected to be strong both physically and mentally. Men are not supposed to show weakness, especially when it comes to their emotions. Men are expected to serve as anchors in society that others can rely on and cling to in times of uncertainty. However, recent studies have shown that this kind of pressure takes a heavy toll on their mental health.
Studies have shown that in adolescence, men typically express their mental health issues externally. They tend to get angry with the world rather than themselves. Young men struggling with mental health issues also tend to have a proclivity towards anger management issues, engaging in high-risk activities like reckless driving and committing suicide. This trend among men has been known to continue into adulthood. Men make up the majority of Americans with substance abuse issues and often exhibit antisocial behaviors. Since the 1950s, American men are 3 to 5 times more likely to commit suicide than women.
Movember started in the early 2000’s as a movement to raise awareness towards information like this but has done so with varying success. Despite the promotional work the charity displays, the health awareness side of the movement is often not discussed. According to a study in 2015 done by the Delft University of Technology located in Delft, Netherlands, “We find that across countries Twitter users mostly focus on the social aspect of the Movember campaign, with relatively few tweets focusing on the health aspect of Movember.” This was published in a study that analyzed over 1.1 million tweets that included the word “Movember”.
But just because recent information paints a relatively dark picture, it doesn’t mean that the whole world is doom and gloom. Let’s take this November and celebrate with our family and friends. Let’s make sure the men in our lives know that they are appreciated for all that they do. After all, all it takes is one small act of kindness to change one’s perspective.
