Men, women, boys and girls can all suffer with mental health problems. I have noticed that there is a gap in mental health between men and women. Everyone has their assumptions and ideas about mental health patients and usually it is seen as being women which I think is quite a strange idea.
29% of women have been treated for a mental health problem compared to 17% of men which is quite an interesting statistic. Men tend to be more headstrong and less willing to admit that there is something wrong. I think that men would try and keep themselves to themselves so are less likely to reach out and receive treatment. This assumption is backed up by the statistic that men are 3 ½ times more likely to commit suicide than women. If they had reached out and really got the help they require, this would probably be lower.
The media probably does have quite a big role in attitudes towards the roles in men and women. Men are portrayed as the ‘strong’ ones whereas the women are portrayed the fragile ones. It tends to be the women in TV shows and films that get upset or ‘break’ whereas the man will be the strong one and not let himself get affected by it. The men are always the hero and will be the one to save the woman. I think this makes men feel like they must be the strong ones and they should be independent to help the women in their life.
Men are more likely to see it as a weakness and perceive it negatively. Women are generally seen as more emotional whereas men seem to be less so. In general, women tend to open up more and men like to keep themselves to themselves. From speaking to some male mental health sufferers, it was evident that they didn’t feel like they could open up to their friends about what they are feeling or going through. They were worried about how their friends would react and their perceptions of mental illness. They worried that their friends would laugh at them or thing that they were weird. Obviously, women sometimes feel like this but it seems to be more common amongst men.
Sadly, we are still in a time where men of the family are seen as the most responsible for looking after the family and bringing money in. I know this culture is beginning to change but it is still present. This is a huge responsibility and weight on their shoulders and some men can feel like they aren’t doing their job well enough. The pressure of this can lead to depression or negative thoughts like not being good enough.
I think we need to create a culture where men feel like they can open up more. It would change the lives of so many men if they felt more comfortable with being open about their problems. Women tend to want to open up more and look after their friends but with men, it’s harder. Mental health stigma needs to be broken down and men are a big group that need education about it so that we can try and bring the male suicide rate down.
29% of women have been treated for a mental health problem compared to 17% of men which is quite an interesting statistic. Men tend to be more headstrong and less willing to admit that there is something wrong. I think that men would try and keep themselves to themselves so are less likely to reach out and receive treatment. This assumption is backed up by the statistic that men are 3 ½ times more likely to commit suicide than women. If they had reached out and really got the help they require, this would probably be lower.
The media probably does have quite a big role in attitudes towards the roles in men and women. Men are portrayed as the ‘strong’ ones whereas the women are portrayed the fragile ones. It tends to be the women in TV shows and films that get upset or ‘break’ whereas the man will be the strong one and not let himself get affected by it. The men are always the hero and will be the one to save the woman. I think this makes men feel like they must be the strong ones and they should be independent to help the women in their life.
Men are more likely to see it as a weakness and perceive it negatively. Women are generally seen as more emotional whereas men seem to be less so. In general, women tend to open up more and men like to keep themselves to themselves. From speaking to some male mental health sufferers, it was evident that they didn’t feel like they could open up to their friends about what they are feeling or going through. They were worried about how their friends would react and their perceptions of mental illness. They worried that their friends would laugh at them or thing that they were weird. Obviously, women sometimes feel like this but it seems to be more common amongst men.
Sadly, we are still in a time where men of the family are seen as the most responsible for looking after the family and bringing money in. I know this culture is beginning to change but it is still present. This is a huge responsibility and weight on their shoulders and some men can feel like they aren’t doing their job well enough. The pressure of this can lead to depression or negative thoughts like not being good enough.
I think we need to create a culture where men feel like they can open up more. It would change the lives of so many men if they felt more comfortable with being open about their problems. Women tend to want to open up more and look after their friends but with men, it’s harder. Mental health stigma needs to be broken down and men are a big group that need education about it so that we can try and bring the male suicide rate down.