Courtesy of Medical News Today, Men’s mental health: Common challenges
For S@Y News, I’m Marlorn Ace Edquila
During the pandemic, many people have suffered significant trauma. Dealing with Covid-19 and the aftermath, trying to figure out what they want for their future, what life is like now and ultimately, what to do next. It causes a lot of pressure that can affect our minds and lead to substance and drug use.
Men have higher rates of substance use disorders than women, while women have higher rates of mood and anxiety disorders. In a 2019 survey of working Canadians, according to the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), respondents were nearly 3 times less likely to want to disclose a mental illness like depression than a physical one like cancer.
- The map above illustrates the percentage of men opening up to mental health in each Canadian province. To further understand, the range from six to eleven varies to describe that six or eleven percent of men have admitted their mental health from each province.
According to Statistics Canada, the interactive visual above indicates the number of men suffering from pre-pandemic mental health in each province. Most men have mental health issues in regions such as British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. All the interviewees in the video I created are from Ontario, which would include them in the category of being provoked by mental health.
A subject in my video Aaron Noche says, “As a man, I believe we face challenges both physically and mentally, and I think those have a serious effect on our minds. I feel like the start of mental health is an issue for most people would start in high school. Many people enjoy and entertain that drama; trying to fit in can cause people to have slight trauma".
There is a moderate-to-serious level of psychological distress among 39% of Ontario high school and college students (symptoms of anxiety and depression). Also, 17% of respondents reported severe psychological distress (CAMH).
Speak Up!
Mental health happens to almost anyone, we are human, and it's our nature to overthink and think highly of ourselves. Often, these actions can cause a start in mental health. Sometimes when we want something to go our way, and it doesn’t, we get into a sad emotional state where we take out our anger towards something we may regret later on or an accident to occur.
Furthermore, (CAMH) says, After accidents, suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 24. A subject was a prime example in my video of this occurring, Raeon Ebanks openly speaking about his drug use and the fear of everyone around him knowing. This trauma from mental health led him down a dark path that escalated most of the statistics above, including drugs and suicidal thoughts. Ebanks says, "It made me think of what I was doing wrong and question myself."
On many occasions, even celebrities face the same issues we stress about. Yes, they are rich and famous, but it could still occur. People like Michael Phelps are an excellent example of how even being rich and famous can impact your mental health. Being in the spotlight for so long can be very tiring and draining. Keeping those emotions to yourself can take a toll, which is precisely the feeling Phelps went through but ever since he opened up, he has been enjoying life to the fullest. After speaking about his mental health, Phelps started the Michael Phelps Foundation, the organization composed of Phelps and his wife Nicole, to ensure people's safety and physical and healthy living to pursue their dreams. Phelps believes this Foundation can help those in need of support but do not have the platform to speak.
Another study by CAMH says mental illness is up to three times more likely to occur in people with substance use disorders. Co-occurring mental illnesses are more common than ever among people with substance use disorders.
This Bar chart listed above helps my argument. According to Statistics Canada, a high percentage of men gained mental health issues from the pandemic. It gives an in-depth view of the years throughout the pandemic affecting all ranges of ages. Once again, one of the subjects in my video was alone for most of the pandemic and could not reach out to anyone losing contact with people because of the lockdown. Anthony Grozdanis says, "I started to have mental health problems when covid started; it messed with me, and I missed my family and friends."
(CAMH) says those with mental issues have a much lower employment rate. The unemployment rate for people with severe mental illness can reach 70 to 90%.” The other characteristics that are still important are high but lower than the others. The highest source of stress comes from day-to-day work life, which is not even close to the twenty-eight million that day-to-day demands bring. There is no doubt that almost anything can cause stress, but how men deal with it is often the real question. A mental illness-related workplace disability leave costs approximately double that of a physical illness-related leave.
This multiple-circle graph below gives specific details on how men can deal with many sources of stress that usually cause spark their mental health. Furthermore, the graph articulates the results from a survey from Statistics Canada, which breaks down the causes of deaths from 2016 to 2020 from mental health behaviours.
To Make It Clear
We all face difficulties in life, whether it is financial difficulties, the breakup of a relationship, overwhelming family responsibilities, or a significant setback. When left unchecked, these challenges can seriously affect your mental health. Men often endure adversity alone.
It is proven that men stay mentally healthy and cope with the stresses of everyday life by maintaining relationships, talking about the hard stuff in life, and taking action when times are tough. Mental health and well-being are linked to better mental health but also a decreased risk of suicide (CAMH). A person with poor mental health may feel irritable, hopeless, or worthless, behave aggressively, drink excessively, and isolate themselves from family and friends.
Men's and women's experiences regarding mental health disorders are similar, CAMH says, but men's willingness to speak about it is very different. It remains challenging for men to seek support for mental health disorders due to the perceived standards of masculinity and the stigma surrounding such disorders. When mental health-related challenges are not adequately discussed, the lack of communication may worsen the underlying conditions and make the present disorder more severe.
Due to social norms and expectations people have for us throughout the years, men have lost the ability to articulate their issues; soon enough, men may be unable to express their feelings at all; let us not get to that point, So please speak up before it is too late. And remember, you are never alone. Stop fighting all by yourself.
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