November: ‘Men’s Mental Health' month, know why is it important

November, as a month, is a prelude to December. Technically, we’re all planning in the month of November for what to do in December. Majorly, we’re also trying to get back to our resolution from the last year. Indians in the North are bracing themselves for the extreme winters. Amidst all this, November is also famous for some famous awareness campaigns. For example, No Nut November, or No Shave November.

But, there is another important awareness campaign i.e. Men’s Mental Health. Therefore, the month of november is also known as ‘Movember’. Actually, there is an organisation called ‘Movember Foundation’ which encourages growing moustaches as a symbol to create awareness about men’s mental health, and cancer treatment. 

The awareness initiative overlaps with the intentions of No Shave November and more. Through the annual month-long program, the organisation aim to spread awareness and raise funds for better treatment of the issues like prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men's suicide. The aim is to have early detections of cancer, or any mental health issue, and then ensure effective treatments. Therefore, reducing the number of preventable health.

November is also the month of International Men’s Day i.e. 19th of November.

Why is it important?

According to the CDC, in 80% of suicide cases, the victim is a man. The circumstances require much significant deliberation, before pointing out the reason. But, something is not right when it comes to the mental health of men can be comprehended. According to another study, men are half as likely to seek professional help for mental health issues, then women.

According to American Psychological Association, men are less likely to report emotional or physical stress and are more likely to withdraw socially. Men are reported to take risks and generally blame work for their stress, or ‘bad mood’.

Read more: 2010 Stress in America: Gender and Stress

There are several diseases which are more prevalent in men like heart attack, stroke, lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, major depressive disorder, suicide, addiction, and more.

Conclusion

With changing dynamics of social media, the source of unregulated stress also increases. The constant inflow of abuse, information or even ‘cancel’ culture creates a system of isolation. The coronavirus pandemic brought the conversation about mental health to the forefront, but the conversation needs to continue. And, a particular focus has to be given to the mental health of men.

The isolation of an entire community can’t be the solution to creating a society which nurtures discourses. Otherwise, for every #MeToo post, there will be a #NotAllMen post also.

Hence, let us this November month encourage conversations around mental health and reach out to one another for a better future.

Read More

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• How is mental health related to climate change?
• Mental Health: 24×7 accepting hatred and negativity, How’s that gonna work?
• Prioritising Women’s mental health
• What are the 5 signs of mental illness?

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