For many people, the word “help” invokes feelings of distaste and aversion. Many people find that asking for help is the greatest form of showing weakness in a society where strength and confidence are highly-prized in individuals. These people also fear the consequences of letting others know of their vulnerability. Others may not want the extra attention that comes along with the help. Still others may not want to worry the people around them, if they need help for serious issues such as mental health. However, it is important for people to realize that it is okay to ask for help, and that living alone in the darkness of one’s own’s thoughts is not worth trying to preserve one’s “healthy” social image, especially because in most cases society only wants to help.

There is great stigma around mental health. However, there is an even greater stigma around men and mental health. As mentioned earlier, there is an unspoken belief that strength and confidence is desirable. While this may be true to a certain extent, there can be different definitions of what strength and confidence mean. There is strength in overcoming one’s fear of societal backlash and asking for help. There is also confidence in one’s own potential to get better when one asks for help.

There was a “Men and Mental Health” Panel Discussion on October 25, to discuss the prevalence of mental health issues surrounding the male community. Each men on the panel took turns to speak about why they were involved in that day’s event, whether it be that they were suffering from mental issues themselves, or that they were studying or working in the field of psychology or mental health.

The panel discussed how hard it is for many men to ask for help because they felt as though they needed to be strong for the people that relied on them and because they were scared of people treating them differently. A few men on the panel also discussed how often, men don’t even realize that they need help, and only become aware of their own predicaments when the people around them point out the issues. Even when the people around them suggested getting help, many of them became stubborn and refused to see any professionals for their conditions. At this point, a few women in the audience voiced their concerns for what family and friends should do to suggest getting help without angering the men they know. The panel agreed that the best thing to do would be to let them know that other options are available and gently push them towards getting help, but to not make them feel pressured into anything because ultimately, it must be by their own choice.

In a country where approximately one in five adults are seen to suffer from some kind of mental illness, it is important to realize that there are many others that are going through the same issues, and that no one is alone. There is a stigma surrounding men and mental health because men are supposed to be “tough” and “manly” but it is important to note that certain mental health issues are actually more prevalent in men than women. Denying the possibility of the vulnerability of men can lead to disastrous consequences in many of their lives. People must know that it is okay to ask for help, and that the people who truly care for them will not think lesser of them if they do. Similarly, society as a whole must be more educated about the increased incidence of mental health issues in men, to be more readily accepting and receptive to the needs of the important men in their lives. For no one deserves to suffer alone.