Running Head: Helping Men Help Themselves 1

Helping Men Help Themselves

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Helping Men Help Themselves

Many people in the modern contemporary world suffer from a wide range of mental

health disorders. Mental disorders refer to several mental conditions and diseases that affect

people’s moods, thinking and behavior. Some of the most common mental disorders include

depression, addictive disorders, eating disorders and addictive disorders. Most of the victims

of mental health are always required to seek medication. However, it has been established

that the majority of the men who suffer from mental disorders are less likely to seek medical

or psychological help for any mental health problem they undergo. This is because men tend

to hold a more negative attitude towards using mental health services than women. Toxic

masculinity has been identified as one factor contributing to the negative influence on health-

related behavior that most men have adopted. Therefore, helping men to help themselves has

been recognized as one of the methods that can be employed to assist men suffering from

mental disorders to overcome the problems associated with a mental health issue.

It has been established that men are less likely to seek medical help for any mental

problems they face than women (McKenzie, Collings, Jenkin, & River, 2018). According to a

survey conducted by the mental health foundation, it has been revealed that men are far less

likely to seek professional help and support whenever they are suffering from a mental

problem or issue. In essence, they are less likely to disclose their mental illness to either their

friends or families (Jenney & Exner-Cortens, 2018). Dozens of studies conducted over the

first few decades indicate that men of all ethnicity and ages are less likely to seek help for all

sorts of problems, including and are not limited to depression, substance abuse, or any other

significant health or societal issue. It has been established that women always make nearly

two-thirds of all the visits to mental facilities. In addition, whereas the majority of the women

always share their psychological problems just after one month of the health problem's rising,

men have perfected the tendency to keep their mental health problems to themselves for close
Running Head: Helping Men Help Themselves 3

to two years without necessarily confiding their friends or relatives. The refusal, inability,

unwillingness, and reluctance of the men to seek help for their mental health problems such

as depression has a devastating health effect on the men and their families. Against this

backdrop, efforts have been implemented to assist the men who are suffering from mental

health problems to seek medical health.

Why Men do not Seek Help

Several factors inform the decision by most men not to seek help whenever they are

faced with severe mental health issues. One of the reasons why they do not seek help is due

to what researchers commonly refer to as the normative male alexithymia, which has made

most of them be out of touch with reality because they have become out of touch with their

emotions in that they do not even realize that they have been depressed. From a tender age,

most of the boys are usually taught by their male counterparts not to show any form of

emotion, for example crying, or even displaying sad facial expressions (Chatmon, 2020).

Most of the boys hence tend to carry this habit into their adult life. And this makes them

unaware of their emotions and how they can describe their feelings using words.

The other factor that has also been positively identified as a significant factor

contributing to the refusal and reluctance of men to seek medical health and support for their

mental problems is toxic masculinity. It has been established that deeply ingrained ideas

about masculinity play an integral role in why men avoid seeking treatment for mental health-

related issues or problems. Masculine norms have been identified to increase health-related

mental issues such as stress, depression, and other psychological problems. Toxic masculinity

has forced the majority of the men to become more hostile, lonely and develop a lack of

interest in forming and maintaining social bonds. In essence, it has been established that most

masculine traits are more harmful to the general health and wellbeing of most men.

Masculinity has also been identified as being responsible for contributing to men's toughness,
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emotional control, and independence. Masculine role socialization has made most men reject

any attempt to assist them in seeking medical attention.

What can be done to assist the Men in accepting Mental Health Treatment and

Assistance

The first initiative that should be adopted or implemented to assist men with mental

issues is to understand what drives the men away from seeking cognitive therapy or any other

form of treatment. Identifying these factors is critical to encouraging most men who have

shied away from seeking help to come out and seek assistance and support. This is most

likely to enable the men to seek help whenever the need arises and is also instrumental in

making them more effective. Two solutions can be initiated and implemented to arrest the

situation. The first step is to make the men understand that mental illness is typical, and

several people suffer from various forms of mental illness. The second step is to adjust the

therapy and the treatment methods to make it more appealing to men and encourage most of

them to come out and seek medical health and attention.

In conclusion, helping men to help themselves is a noble initiative that aims to

encourage men who are suffering from various forms of mental health issues to come out and

seek medical attention. It has been established that the majority of them tend to suffer silently

from mental health complications. Psychologists and other health experts have been tasked

with assisting most of the men to come out in large numbers and seek medical attention.
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References

Chatmon, B. N. (2020). Males and mental health stigma. American Journal of Men's Health,

14(4), 155798832094932. doi:10.1177/1557988320949322

Jenney, A., & Exner-Cortens, D. (2018). Toxic masculinity and mental health in young

women. Affilia, 33(3), 410-417. doi:10.1177/0886109918762492

McKenzie, S. K., Collings, S., Jenkin, G., & River, J. (2018). Masculinity, social

connectedness, and mental health: Men’s diverse patterns of practice. American

Journal of Men's Health, 12(5), 1247-1261. doi:10.1177/1557988318772732