The month of June is not only known as Pride Month but it’s also the month of International Men’s mental health month. This month is dedicated to spreading awareness about men’s mental health. The Importance of Discussing Men’s Mental Health. Since 1994, June has been recognized as Men’s Health Month. This month is observed by encouraging the men in your life to participate by learning more about preventable diseases, seeking medical advice regularly, and getting a physical, Statistically. Men die five years younger than women and at higher rates from the leading causes of death. This year 2023, the Men’s Health Week theme is “Healthy Habits”, intending to adopt men and boys to make positive choices for their health and happiness
Men’s mental health is rarely discussed. It’s overlooked chiefly and goes with the orthodox thinking men don’t cry they are strong. Men’s mental health is rarely discussed but they are affected more than we think. As per World Health Organization (WHO) report in 2015, the average male life expectancy was 69.1 years, while the average female life expectancy was 73.8 years. One of the biggest issues surrounding the state of men’s mental health is a lack of awareness. Most of the men around the world have no idea about this month. No idea about a whole month dedicated to their Mental health issues.
Men suffer from these issues more than women, as per statistics 6 million suffer from depression which goes undiagnosed. Men between the age of 18 to 54 face anxiety issues, they face panic disorder, agoraphobia, and many more other phobia. Bipolar disorder both men and women face this issue at equal rates, men often experience this between the age of 16 to 25 years. Eating disorders are also issues faced by men because of anxiety and the pressure of family and work. The suicide rate of men is 4 times higher than women. 1 in 5 men develops alcohol dependence during their lifetime. Men are less likely to seek mental health treatment due to a reduction to talk, symptoms, and social norms. If men just spoke about their feelings more often, it seems like a simple solution to these alarming statistics, right? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. According to Psychology Today.
A few ways you can encourage the man in your life to focus on health this June include:
- Getting him to the doctor for a routine physical.
2, Encourage a form of exercise.
- Tell him how much you care.
- visit a primary care physician once a year for a full physical examination, including blood pressure, height, and weight.
- Schedule screening tests for testicular cancer, diabetes, thyroid, and liver problems once a year.
- By the age of 30, screening for coronary heart disease (CHD) should be done if there is a strong family history and/or risk factors for CHD.
- By the age of 40, screening for thyroid disease, liver diseases, anemia, and prostate cancer should be done.
