According to the American Foundation for the Prevention of Suicide, men died by suicide at a rate of 3.54 percent more than women in 2017.
Mental Health America reports that 6 million men are affected by depression in the United States each year.
The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that the annual number of men who die from alcohol-related causes is 62,000, compared to 26,000 women.
And men are also two or three times more likely to abuse drugs than women.
Depression and suicide are classified as one of the leading causes of death among men and yet they are much less likely to seek mental health treatment than women.
The stigma that men face.
"I think part of this may be this male thing," Dr. Raymond Hobbs, a medical consultant at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, told Healthline. "Many kids don't want to admit they have this problem. They still see depression as a sign of weakness."
I was clear that this type of thinking is outdated, a relic of previous generations that does not speak with the current medical understanding of mental illness.
“Now we know much more and recognize the chemical changes that occur. In many ways, mental illness is like diabetes or any other physical condition, "he said.
But Hobbs points out that many people don't see it that way. Instead, they still see the struggles for mental health as a personal problem and a lack of personal strength.
Because of that, and the stigma that still exists around mental illness (not to mention, the pressure on men to always be strong), many men struggle to admit that they may need help.
"We have work to do as a society in relation to the stigma of asking for help," Zel Levin of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation told Healthline. "While we have done a much better job to reduce stigma and expand opportunities for support, men may still be feeling shame and guilt, which could lead them to be less willing to ask for help."
The burden of toxic masculinity.
But it's not just asking for help with which men seem to struggle.
ResearchTrusted Source has found that some men also have a harder time establishing social connections. The American Psychological Association has a podcast on how masculinity can be a burden on mental health.
"When it comes to toxic masculinity," Hobbs explained, "it really comes down to the way men are raised. So they teach us to be strong and calm. If you look at the old John Wayne movies, that was the model to which we should aspire. But it is also a model that is dysfunctional in many ways. "
This model of masculinity may be the reason why men are more likely to report symptoms of depression. But certain traits, more traditionally masculine, can also contribute to increasing depression rates, according to research Trusted Sourcethat found both negative and protective factors of traditional masculinity.
When the negative impact is an increase in depressive symptoms, substance abuse can often continue.
"If men are less willing to ask for help, they will continue to experience symptoms that contribute to depression," Levin said. "Drug use is often a misfit adaptation strategy."
As he says, when people fighting depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions are not adopting healthy resources to cope, they can turn to alcohol and other drugs as a way to numb the pain.
The problem is, how do we, as a society, change men's perception of seeking help before they reach that point?
Reducing stigma
Levin says that many men are victims of the false idea that they should be "hard enough" to solve all their problems on their own. They worry that by showing vulnerability, even in the case of a physical illness, they may lose their authority with others.
As a result, "they can believe that they can solve this problem quickly and move on to the next one, and they can deny that there is a problem," Levin said.
Addressing that and helping men overcome it first requires ending the stigma of asking for help.
"We can all encourage greater transparency in mental health and substance abuse issues," Levin said. “No one is immune to stress. Talking to others about how it affects you can foster empathy, camaraderie and support, all of which fight against feelings of isolation in which addiction and mental health problems can thrive.
Mental Health America reports that 6 million men are affected by depression in the United States each year.
The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that the annual number of men who die from alcohol-related causes is 62,000, compared to 26,000 women.
And men are also two or three times more likely to abuse drugs than women.
Depression and suicide are classified as one of the leading causes of death among men and yet they are much less likely to seek mental health treatment than women.
The stigma that men face.
"I think part of this may be this male thing," Dr. Raymond Hobbs, a medical consultant at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, told Healthline. "Many kids don't want to admit they have this problem. They still see depression as a sign of weakness."
I was clear that this type of thinking is outdated, a relic of previous generations that does not speak with the current medical understanding of mental illness.
“Now we know much more and recognize the chemical changes that occur. In many ways, mental illness is like diabetes or any other physical condition, "he said.
But Hobbs points out that many people don't see it that way. Instead, they still see the struggles for mental health as a personal problem and a lack of personal strength.
Because of that, and the stigma that still exists around mental illness (not to mention, the pressure on men to always be strong), many men struggle to admit that they may need help.
"We have work to do as a society in relation to the stigma of asking for help," Zel Levin of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation told Healthline. "While we have done a much better job to reduce stigma and expand opportunities for support, men may still be feeling shame and guilt, which could lead them to be less willing to ask for help."
The burden of toxic masculinity.
But it's not just asking for help with which men seem to struggle.
ResearchTrusted Source has found that some men also have a harder time establishing social connections. The American Psychological Association has a podcast on how masculinity can be a burden on mental health.
"When it comes to toxic masculinity," Hobbs explained, "it really comes down to the way men are raised. So they teach us to be strong and calm. If you look at the old John Wayne movies, that was the model to which we should aspire. But it is also a model that is dysfunctional in many ways. "
This model of masculinity may be the reason why men are more likely to report symptoms of depression. But certain traits, more traditionally masculine, can also contribute to increasing depression rates, according to research Trusted Sourcethat found both negative and protective factors of traditional masculinity.
When the negative impact is an increase in depressive symptoms, substance abuse can often continue.
"If men are less willing to ask for help, they will continue to experience symptoms that contribute to depression," Levin said. "Drug use is often a misfit adaptation strategy."
As he says, when people fighting depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions are not adopting healthy resources to cope, they can turn to alcohol and other drugs as a way to numb the pain.
The problem is, how do we, as a society, change men's perception of seeking help before they reach that point?
Reducing stigma
Levin says that many men are victims of the false idea that they should be "hard enough" to solve all their problems on their own. They worry that by showing vulnerability, even in the case of a physical illness, they may lose their authority with others.
As a result, "they can believe that they can solve this problem quickly and move on to the next one, and they can deny that there is a problem," Levin said.
Addressing that and helping men overcome it first requires ending the stigma of asking for help.
"We can all encourage greater transparency in mental health and substance abuse issues," Levin said. “No one is immune to stress. Talking to others about how it affects you can foster empathy, camaraderie and support, all of which fight against feelings of isolation in which addiction and mental health problems can thrive.
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