Men’s Mental Health Awareness

From June 13-19 the world celebrates Men’s Health Week 2022. However, in Canada, the entire month of June is Men’s Health Month. The focus is on mental health and on encouraging men to move for their mental health. Move for Your Mental Health 2022 creates awareness, educates and drives men and their family’s to get active. This is done through podcasts, video workouts and health tips. The Canadian Men’s Health Foundation are the ones behind this important month of awareness.

According to the Toronto Men’s Health Network, the idea of “men’s mental health” is a newer concept. The idea of a mental illness equating to weakness seems to be a part of the problem and is one of the many reasons to open and change the conversation.

To understand the significance of this day, and why raising awareness about men’s mental health is important, this Huffington Post article provides insight as to the subgroup of the Canadian population that is considered to be vulnerable: middle-aged men and explains how resources have not been directed at helping this part of the population and how mental health issues in this population have not been traditionally treated the same as in other vulnerable groups.

According to Canadian Mental Health Association, there have been recent studies that have shown that new fathers are susceptible to post-partum depression. Statistics show the 4 out of 5 suicides are males and the results of The StatsCan Canadian Community Health Survey on Mental Health and Well-Being showed that 10% of men experienced symptoms of the mental illnesses/substance dependencies being surveyed in comparison to 11% of women.

A person’s life circumstances does not necessarily predict the onset of a mental illness, as mental illness does not discriminate when it comes to who will develop one. A mental illness can affect various realms of a person’s life, including the ability to work and perform activities of daily living as it affects functional abilities. A well-known statistic that is used in mental health awareness campaigns is that 1 in 5 Canadians will develop a mental illness in their lifetime. This is why available treatment and encouraging people to get treatment to help with recovery are important, and to let people know that they are not alone.