The Exploding Male Mental Health Crisis

SILENCE = DEATH –

August 4, 2021 –

Q: Why are the recorded rates of anxiety and depression among males so much lower than among females?

Kristin Wilson: For girls, it’s much more acceptable to talk about being sad. For teen boys and young men, it can feel like a sign of weakness to admit that they’re struggling with their mental health. Talking about being sad doesn’t fit what society views as acceptable male behavior. As much as things have shifted in recent years around gender norms and the ability to have open conversation about mental health, it’s still really hard for males to add the word “I” to the sentence “I’m not okay.”

We know boys can tend to confuse sadness and anger, they repress feeling sad and instead express it as anger, which feels much more socially acceptable to them. When asked about how they are feeling, boys will often not report being sad. They’re also more likely to abuse substances as way to self-medicate, engage in high-risk behaviors, become defiant, or to withdraw from family and friends. Because these actions have such a behavioral implication on the people around them, the underlying depression can be tricky to see. The good news is that once boys realize they need help, they are just as able to access and accept mental health services as girls.