Male mental health has come to the forefront during the Covid crisis as suicide rates are on the rise. Males’ mental health In the United States has long been a topic that people avoid. It’s also an issue that men don’t like to talk about. Why? 

Colman O’Driscoll, former executive director of operations and development at Lifeline says, “men may be less likely to admit when they feel vulnerable, whether to themselves, friends, or a GP. They also can be more ‘We tell boys that “boys don’t cry.”’” 

A UK British Medical Journal study found, “general primary care consultation rates were 32% lower in men than women. Consultation rates for depression, assessed by whether patients received antidepressant prescriptions, were 8% lower in men than women.” By conditioning boys to believe mental health isn’t something they should work on, it creates a feeling that no one wants to listen to their problems so why would we try explaining them in the first place?

“ I haven’t given it much thought but I remember as a kid we were taught that all the pressure to be successful is on you and if you aren’t, then you’ll become a failure. However If women can’t provide well, they can get married. It’s societal stereotypes that are expected from men. If you can’t provide then you won’t be loved.” Say’s Mitchell Baboff, A male student at hall High School.

By not getting the help they need, males commit suicide at elevated rates much higher than women do. “men died by suicide 3.63x more often than women.” Say’s afsp.org, a suicide statistic website. It was also stated, “White males accounted for 69.38% of suicide deaths,” and “firearms accounted for 50.39% of all suicide deaths.”

While always an issue, male suicide has increased during covid for a lot of reasons. Healthline.com showed, “A new survey has found that the COVID-19 pandemic is having a bigger impact on the mental and general health of American men than many admit.” The same source also stated, “77 percent of respondents said their stress levels increased during the pandemic, while 59 percent reported they felt isolated.” This Pandemic has affected everyone, not just men. Healthline.com also said, “Loneliness can increase the amount of cortisol.” Cortisol which is a stress hormone can be due to social isolation which can affect everyone and cause physical and mental health issues.

But asking for help, as a man isn’t easy for them because it puts them in a vulnerable state and feeling of helplessness. However, trying to reach these men and showing them that you actually care can mean a lot. There are also many ways men can find help. It’s just a matter of if they want it.

“Back in the day, soldiers didn’t have great ways to find the help that they needed. I am sure it was out there. Just hard to find. But now all you have to do is a quick VA search online and you will be hit with more info than you know what to do with all sorts of help groups,” says recruiter, Staff Sergeant Montgomery.

Help is out there. Our society just needs to show the male population that it is ok to show emotion and that they actually care about them. Another way men can receive help said by MedicalNewsToday.com is, “People who are at immediate risk of suicide should call 911 or their local emergency number which is available 24-7.” The same source included that, “It can also be beneficial to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).”