According to the charity Sane “1 in 2 people is affected by a mental disorder in their lifetime.”
There has too long been stigma and taboo around men talking about their mental wellbeing. Mental wellbeing covers everything from sleeplessness, loneliness, stress to depression, bipolar and dissociative conditions. We all can learn to talk about and work on managing our mental health.
Articles from our Health and Wellbeing Group on Stress Management
Dr Chis Manning Article
Paul Egerton Article
We’re very much in support of #timetotalkday and encouraging men to have a chat with someone they trust about how they are coping mentally especially in light of the pandemic.
‘Man Up’ and talk about your feelings.
For #timetotalkday, we speak to Chris and Conor , two very different but courageous men. Listen as they share with us their journey in managing their mental health.
For more information read “Understanding the Male Menopause and Mental Health”
Kayleigh’s Story
We were blown away to read Kayleigh’s Story on instagram. Read her account growing up with a dad who battled with his mental health.
“We still don’t have answers to what happened to my dad but i know he wasn’t registered at a doctors and sadly he would never admit if he was in physical pain.
Toxic masculinity is one of the reasons men don’t reach out as they don’t want to appear weak. They feel like it’s not ok to talk about their feelings or that if they do they’ll just be told to “man up” or if they get sick they’re told “is it the man flu?”
8 in 10 men would choose to endure an illness rather than seek help – and 39% have let symptoms get to the point where the pain is “unbearable”, at which point they had no choice but to visit their GP, according to a survey of 2,000 men by bupa.
They feel like it’s not ok to talk about their feelings or that if they do they’ll just be told to “man up”
depression is often found to be more difficult to diagnose in men because they don’t tend to complain about the typical symptoms and this is why when looking at statistics online it will state that on average more women and non binary people are diagnosed with mental health problems than men yet the rate of male suicide is significantly higher.
please nag your loved ones about going to the doctors for annual check-ups. please know the signs of different mental health disorders and recognise them if someone you know is struggling. please encourage men to talk about their feelings and offer to go with them to any appointments related to it. please never brush them off or take any part in toxic masculinity. please share if you know this might help someone.”
Thanks to Kayleigh for sharing her experience with what she describes as toxic masculinity – her post can be found on her instagram account
Call your doctor or simply someone you trust if you are struggling with Anxiety, Depression, Loneliness, Panic Attacks, Phobias, Seasonal affective disorder, Sleep problems, Stress, Sleeplessness and related concerns.
If you feel you need professional counsel, we have included details of a selection of professional helplines you can call below.