By Dr Saswinder Kaur
Mental health as defined by World Health Organisation is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. Every human is entitled to healthy emotions which goes beyond ensuring that an individual is free of mental health disorders. A person becomes more prone to mental challenges depending on their genetics, biology, psychology, and use of substances.
Gender is a critical determinant of mental health. Studies have shown disparities between the functioning procedures of brains between the male and female sex. They have also been shown to internalise and react to stimuli in different ways. Women tend to have a higher mean level of internalising disorders i.e., anxiety and depression while men show a higher mean level of externalising disorders like substance abuse and aggressive behaviour.
One among various other reasons that men’s mental health is poorly recognised and thus poorly treated is because of the perplexing nature of male depression, which mainly manifests in the forms that are poorly recognised by current guidelines. Men tend to have more irritability and anger outbursts; increased substance use rather than typical hopelessness and low mood seen in women having depression.
Secondly high rates of suicides have been observed in young men and men belonging to LGBTQ+ community, reason which may be due to perceived (or real) rejection from mainstream society, leading to strong feelings of alienation and isolation.
Another reason for growing mental health problem may be attributed to decline in traditional agricultural practises leaving large number of men in certain regions unemployed or under-employed. In the present economic scenario, men often find it challenging to look away from the role of a breadwinner for the family. At times, filling these shoes can also given an individual a sense of pride and can pour meaning into their lives.
Men over the years have learned a lot of dysfunctional coping strategies to deal with their psychological stresses which add on to their poor mental health. Among them is substance abuse of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs which is sometimes referred to as "slow-motion suicide", given that it can often lead to premature death for the individual concerned. Research has shown that males indulging in substance use tend to suffer from co-morbid social anxiety disorders among other mental health problems.
Evidence also suggests that men are significantly less likely to use mental health services in response to a mental health issue in comparison with women. It can also be said that men who are often seen relying on substance abuse may have develop a nature of suffering in silence and can also harbour suicidal thoughts. This is often attributed to stubbornness in men, rooted in traditional notions of masculinity and for men, to talk about mental health is despicable. It can be interpreted as a sign of weakness. However, another explanation why men don’t seek help is that formal mental health services are not able to recognise their needs and they tend to emphasise mainly on medication or talk-therapy. But some research suggests that men prefer action over words in the face of stressful situations. This can be managed by developing centres where isolated and lonely men can gather together for practical activities such as woodwork and repairs, while receiving valuable peer-support in the process.
The main conclusion is that a high proportion of men in our society today have acquired dysfunctional psychological coping strategies. There is a need for men to recognise signs of mental health problem, accept them bravely and learn more adaptive coping approaches long before they reach a crisis point.
The author is Senior Resident, Consulting Psychiatrist, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad
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