Mental Health Services For Men Are Important And Accessible

Photo provided by Chicago Department of Public Health.
Photo provided by Chicago Department of Public Health.

Mental Health Services For Men Are Important And Accessible

By Tia Carol Jones

While June was Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, the topic of men’s mental health is one that should be considered all year round. Mental health is a part of overall health.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more women with any mental illness (AMI) (56.9%) received mental health treatment than men with AMI (41.6%), and more women with serious mental illness (SMI) (71.4%) received mental health treatment than men with SMI (59.3%).

Jordan Henderson is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). He said the reason why men receive treatment less than women is because there is a stigma around men receiving the support and resources they need for help with their mental illness. He said that stigma comes from a lot of places. He said parents are the first teachers when it comes to how to interact with the world, manage emotional distress and how to ask for help. He said there is also a cultural piece. He said that the cultural piece of masculinity, it makes it wrong to ask for help or even feeling emotions. He said it can make it difficult for men to ask for help.

Henderson said when it comes to talking about men of color receiving the necessary treatment for mental illness or support for their mental and emotional issues, there is an added stigma and barrier. He said the CDPH has removed some of those barriers by being in the communities and being accessible for men to receive the support, resources and help they need. The CDPH treats individuals regardless of their ability to pay, which is another barrier that is removed when it comes to access to care.

Henderson said that as a community, people can help to remove the stigma around receiving care for mental health issues by having conversations about what mental health looks like. He said that people should also put more emphasis on not just asking how someone is doing, but to ask community members deeper questions through conversations about how they are feeling and being receptive to their honest answers.

“We know that mental health shows up differently in men, it can often show up as agitation, isolation and substance use. Really pay special attention to individuals within your community that you notice, but also, having a conversation,” he said.

Henderson said that education is another way to remove the stigma around men’s mental health. He said with all the resources people have access to on the internet; people can easily educate themselves. And, he said, after educating themselves, people should share that knowledge of what they’ve learned with other people. He said in cases of substance abuse that might occur due to mental health issues, that substance abuse might go over the head of someone who does not have the knowledge of what to look for, but someone more knowledgeable might see it for what it is and ask the person if they need help.

Henderson said that people can start the conversation with men in their lives about their mental health by being vulnerable and consistently checking in. He added that a good way to reduce the stigma around men’s mental health and increase conversations is to reframe how masculinity is looked at, starting at a young age. He said that letting little boys know that it is OK for them to express their emotions and feelings and to ask for help, is a way to reframe masculinity. He said it lets the child know that it is OK for them to also talk about their feelings and emotions and that doing so doesn’t make them any less masculine.

“There is a power in your voice. There is a power in speaking up and acknowledging what you’re going through, acknowledging the emotions that are happening,” he said. He added that men should find someone who understands them and clicks with them. He said that fit is important and it makes a world of difference.

For more information about the mental health services that the CDPH provides, visit https://tinyurl.com/4k4bhscb.

If you are in a crisis, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Lifeline provides confidential support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.


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