June is Men’s Health Month! And although Victress, A Wellness Center for Women is committed to the health and wellbeing of women and girls, we certainly don’t want the men and boys in our lives to struggle mentally. These males include our most cherished fathers, grandfathers, sons, brothers, cousins and friends. Mental health for all is a must!
According to Mental Health America, there are currently six million men in the United States dealing with depression, with much of it going undiagnosed. Signs of depression in men include fatigue, irritability and loss of interest in work or hobbies versus symptoms like sadness or worthlessness.
Men are also experiencing other mental health conditions like anxiety and bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder usually develops in men between the ages of 16 and 25. And 90% of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia by the age of 30 are male. In today’s society when we think of eating disorders, we tend to think of it as a largely female problem, but this is not the case. 10% of those with bulimia or anorexia are male and 35% of those with binge-eating disorder are male. However, men are less likely to seek treatment for these serious issues.
Now here is an even more disturbing statistic regarding men’s mental health: males are dying of suicide more than four times more than females. In the year 2010, a whopping 79 percent of suicides were committed by males. Risks for suicide in males include social isolation, substance abuse, unemployment, military-related trauma, genetic predisposition and other mood disorders. Additionally, gay and bisexual men are even more likely to develop a mental health disorder than heterosexual men and are at an increased risk for suicide attempts before the age of 25.
Substance abuse is also a significant problem for men. 1 in 5 men will develop alcohol dependency in their lives. Gay and bisexual men and military veterans are at an increased risk for substance abuse and veterans regardless of their service use substances at twice the rate that women do. Older men are certainly not immune to mental health issues either. Low testosterone levels can account for depression, stress and mood swings. Sadly, the highest suicide rates in the United States are in Caucasian men over the age of 85.
Due to social stigma, a reluctance to speak about issues and the downplaying of certain symptoms, men are significantly less likely to seek treatment for mental health concerns like depression, substance abuse and stressful life events than women. A change is most certainly needed and our men deserve to be happy and healthy.
This June, Victress, A Wellness Center for Women would like to invite any men who are struggling to take that brave step towards self-improvement. We encourage these special men in our lives to schedule an appointment today! Speak with one of our empathetic therapists in a safe, discreet, comfortable environment and forge a new path forward so that you can be the best father, husband, son, employee that you can be. To schedule an appointment, please call 708-428-2527 or visit www.victresswellness.com.