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For International Men’s Day, I’m going to highlight some things that men uniquely struggle with:
4x more likelihood of suicide (probably due to stigma of getting help and more violent methods of suicide)
MUCH less likely to seek therapy, due to shame and being perceived as weak
Much more pressure to provide and to be successful in a career results in higher job-related anxiety and depression, as well as a feeling of equating manhood to financial success
Much more likely to be ignored or even laughed at when they are victims of abuse, domestic violence, or sexual assault
Much more likely to have anger management issues due to other feelings being laughed at or invalidated since childhood
More likely to develop substance abuse issues
More likely to be homeless due to social services focusing much more on women and children
A huge and almost impossible standard for masculinity and strength, leaving most men feeling intense shame when they feel that they don’t measure up
Tendency to ignore or delay medical treatment due to pressure to “man up”
Homophobia and stigma around intimacy and closeness results in a lot of men who don’t have an adequate support system due to inability to emotionally connect with others, especially other men or their fathers
Poorer support systems results in higher rates of loneliness, substance use, depression, and earlier death
Black men specifically: MUCH more likely to get incarcerated or killed by law enforcement, or be the victim of interpersonal violence
Men are much more likely to be killed, imprisoned, and shot in general
Gay men and trans men are more likely to be severely bullied, ostracized by their family and friends, suffer from assault, and commit suicide
Much less likely to be diagnosed with (and therefore receive appropriate treatment for) specific mental disorders seen as “women’s issues” such as borderline personality disorder, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and anxiety
Eating disorders and body image issues in men in general are very much ignored
Fathers are more likely to lose battle for custody of children.
Mandatory military service = men more likely to suffer ptsd, get killed in line of duty, become disabled, etc.
PTSD in general is much more common in men, due to them being put in situations that have a high likelihood of trauma (violence, war, etc)
Men are also much more likely to get killed or severely injured in their jobs due to the majority of physically demanding jobs being done by men
