The outward effects of mental illness can often be dismissed as a sign of weakness or personal failure.
For men, this type of social stereotyping can be especially hard to escape—being told to “man up” is a common refrain that can be reductive and stigmatizing.
What keeps men from seeking mental health support has deep roots in both traditional gender roles and societal attitudes about masculinity. Ro consulted studies from scientific and medical journals to identify six common barriers men face when seeking support for mental health challenges. Men are more likely to self-medicate before seeking help According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, men are more likely than women to misuse illicit drugs, including illegal and prescription drugs. They’re also more likely to need emergency room care after illicit drug use—and more likely to experience overdose deaths.
A 2011 study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior found that men with strong beliefs about traditional masculinity were half as likely as those with more moderate masculine beliefs to seek preventive health care checkups that could help detect preventable diseases. Men who buy into traditionally masculine stereotypes also have a much higher likelihood of holding negative attitudes about seeking mental health services.
In recent years, research has looked more closely at how men show symptoms of depression and other forms of mental illness. Ronald Levant, former president of the American Psychological Association, coined the term “normative male alexithymia” to encapsulate men’s difficulties with expressing emotion, which is seen as a contributor to depression and a barrier to treatment.
And as for older men as a whole, treatment for various other diseases, such as cancer or heart disease, can often mask or distract from symptoms of depression. Many medications, including steroids, certain cancer treatments, and opioids, can cause depression as a side effect. So it can be hard to tell if the increased rate of depressive symptoms were already there, or are coming from medication use.
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