By The Tribune Content Agency
Dear Healthy Men: Do men’s and women’s mental health issues and needs differ? And if so, how?
A: With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, this question couldn’t be more topical. And while this is a crucial time to shine a spotlight on everyone’s mental health, its especially important to recognize the unique challenges that boys and men face.
The Stigma Starts Early
In our society, we teach boys, from a young age, to “man up,” suppress their emotions, and to see vulnerability and asking for help as a weakness. This conditioning has created a significant (and largely ignored) mental health crisis among boys and men, too many of whom have internalized these negative messages. Fearing judgment or ridicule from their friends, family or colleagues, and believing that their struggles will be seen as a sign of inadequacy, they rarely ask for the help they desperately need. This needs to change.
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