Mental health issues can happen in people of all races, ages, ethnicities, and sex. In fact, plenty of men deal with signs of mental disease symptoms, yet admit this less often.
For men who have a hard time recognizing and accepting this, their mental disease becomes a crisis of silence. Sometimes, it can be challenging to recognize that a man is having problems with their mental health.
The symptoms of the disease may not be the same as that in women.
In fact, many men don’t acknowledge that they struggle with hopelessness and anxiety. Rather, they express this through rage and irritability and tend to mask depression and anxiety.
The Risks Associated with Untreated Mental Diseases
Men are less likelier than women to seek treatment. This is because of the stereotypes associated with men. They’re expected to be tough and protective and asking for help may expose their vulnerable side.
Men, therefore, find it harder to admit that they have struggles with divorce, loss of a loved one, physical health challenges, lack of finances, etc.
As a result, rather than seeking professional help, they turn to alcohol or drug abuse, thinking that they’ll be able to suppress their emotional struggles and the feeling of not being in control.
Ignoring these symptoms can become overwhelming and increase the risk of suicide. As of 2000, there’s been a rise in male suicide and this is actually the seventh leading death cause among men.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, middle-aged white males have the highest suicide rate. It’s more than three times higher than the number of women who committed suicide in 2017.
5 Major Signs of Mental Illness in Men
Men and women may struggle with different signs of the same mental health problem.
To recognize mental health issues in men, it’s important to recognize the tell-tale signs. Check out the five major ones below.
- Mood, energy, and appetite changes
Men with mental health problems tend to struggle with frequent drops of energy, mood changes, as well as oscillations in appetite.
Any extreme changes in mood and energy may indicate some type of mental health struggles in men.
- Anxiety
When men struggle with mental health problems, they also deal with a lot of anxiety, fear, and worries.
Combined with intrusive thoughts and overthinking, paranoia is also an issue among men with mental disorders.
- Social isolation
The tendency to isolate from others and a withdrawal among men may signal some mental health struggles. These men avoid socializing and interacting with others.
Their anxiousness and shyness increase and they will try to isolate and avoid contact, even with their closest relatives and friends.
- Changes in sleep patterns and appetite
Men who have some mental health problem may suddenly start to experience poor sleep and changes in their appetite.
They’ll struggle with insomnia or spend too much time in bed and eat less or more than they used to do before.
- Constant sadness
A persistent feeling of sadness is a common indicator of mental health struggles in men. This symptom is usually associated with depression and tends to happen alongside with symptoms of emptiness, irritability, hopelessness, and helplessness.
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