When and How to Support

If you’d like to support Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, you could do it in many ways. You might hold an event to raise awareness and money for a mental health charity or organization. You could raise money through a garage sale or bake sale, get people to sponsor you in a race or a competition, or reach out to your workplace or your child’s school to see whether there’s anything they could do to raise awareness.

There are a lot of charities, organizations, and groups out there that do important work around men’s mental health and mental health more generally. Men’s mental health organizations in the United States and abroad include:

MHA, the National Institute of Mental Health, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness don’t focus solely on men’s mental health but are worth supporting ― and they’re useful resources if you’d like to learn more.

It’s also important to listen to the men in your life if they reach out to you and let them know that you’re there. Of course, this isn’t limited solely to Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month ― men’s mental health remains a big concern throughout the year, not just in June.

There’s still a stigma around men’s mental health, making it more difficult for men and boys to reach out for help. Some men might still feel as if people expect them to hide their emotions and “man up,” or be strong for others. Having or acknowledging a mental health condition is still seen as a sign of weakness or lack of masculinity among some men.

But mental health conditions aren’t signs of personal weakness ― they’re health conditions just like any other. You wouldn’t feel shame about getting a doctor’s help with a broken arm, and contacting a therapist isn’t any different.

The statistics of men’s mental health

The National Institute of Mental Health says mental health conditions are more common among women than men, but this may be because men aren’t opening up and reaching out. And while 51.7% of women with a mental health condition in 2021 received support from mental health services, only 40% of men with a mental health condition did.

Not only that, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the suicide rate among males in 2021 was around four times higher than the suicide rate among females. The organization also says men make up almost 80% of all suicides. Men may also be more likely to engage in substance misuse in place of mental health care.

And when men get help, it can sometimes be difficult for them to get the help they need. In the United States and worldwide, mental health care often receives insufficient funding, and people often don’t prioritize it.

Intersectionality and men’s mental health

While a mental health condition can affect any man, sometimes, the conditions affect men disproportionately. For example, the CDC reports that LGBTQ+ men are more likely to have mental health conditions than their straight and cis counterparts, while adults with disabilities are almost five times as likely to report frequent mental health distress than adults without disabilities.

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, or BIPOC, men are just as likely to have mental health conditions as white men but have less access to mental health care. They’re more likely to need to rely on community support in place of (rather than in addition to) mental health professionals.

While Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month is important, we must consider men’s mental health year-round. While it’s more acceptable for men to express their emotions and get help than it used to be, it’s still important that we address the ongoing stigma that men shouldn’t need mental health support.

Talk with the men in your lives, and if you’re experiencing depression, anxiety, anger, or other mental health difficulties, there are many places you can go to for support ― you’re not alone, and it doesn’t make you less of a man.