Men’s Mental Health: Charities Encourage Therapy in Movember
Charities and ambassadors encouraged men to speak up about their wellbeing during November, Men’s Mental Health Month (MMHM).
This MMHM coincides with Movember, a charity encouraging men to fundraise for men’s health while breaking stigmas by growing a mustache in November.
The campaign started in 2003 and aims to fund men’s health projects worldwide, including those preventing suicide.
It’s widely known that many men struggle to move past mental health stigma and get therapy.
Charities Back Speaking Out
This month, charities such as MAN-UP?, Andy’s Man Club, and The Lions’ Barber Collective have shared their support for men’s mental health care.
According to the Lions’ Barber Collective, most suicide casualties are male. They said, “This week, 125 people will die of suicide. 75% of deaths are male. 72% of deaths had no mental health support.”
On 1st November, celebrity male barber Tom Chapman teamed up with the charity to talk on UK chat show Steph’s Packed Lunch to reduce the mental health “stigma,” as he called it. Chapman posted a statement on Instagram about the appearance, saying, “Together, we can break the stigma surrounding men’s health and encourage open conversations.”
Andy’s Man Club is a charity offering free support groups for men struggling with suicidal thoughts. On Saturday, 4th November, they posted to their Instagram account, “We won’t stop opening more support groups for men and breaking down the stigmas that #itsokaytotalk.”
On the same day, MAN-UP? said that asking for help is a “strength, not weakness.” They posted, “If you or someone you know is struggling, remember that reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness. Let’s change the conversation around men’s mental health together.”
Ambassador for mental health campaign #IAMWHOLE and Rizzle Kicks singer Jordan Stephens also advocated that strength isn’t just physical. A week ago, Stephens said it was important for men to lift a mental “weight” through talking.
The ambassador posted to Instagram, “Physical strength is important, but it’s not everything. I’m proud to be redefining what the World’s Strongest Men look like.”
He added,
“Sometimes the heaviest weight can be lifted by having a conversation.”
The Science Behind Suicide
These statements come after the Counselling Psychology Quarterly published findings that men speaking to a therapist of their preferred gender are more likely to report better results than those who didn’t.
A 2020 report from the National Library of Medicine said that the Covid pandemic could have increased male suicidal behavior. The paper, Men, Suicide, and Covid-19: Critical Masculinity Analyses and Interventions, found research that showed “that various socioeconomic, psychological, and health-related impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic may heighten the risk of suicidal behaviors.”
It also stated, “Men demonstrate higher suicide rates than women at all times and across regions and ethnic and socioeconomic groups.”
Do you want to support men’s mental health? If you can, please donate to MAN-UP?, here.
