Did you know that June is men’s health month? Me either! In light of my surprise, I thought it could be helpful for us to have an honest conversation about men’s health. There are some startling facts to consider below.
Recently, on the Well, well… podcast we sat down with my friend Bryan to talk about his experiences with mental health and therapy as a Black man. It’s an episode that I think will resonate with a lot of men, Black men in particular. Please go take a listen and leave your comments. We’d love to hear what you think!
One of the ideas that stood out to me about our conversation was this idea of strength. We talked about how often men don’t seek out help not because they believe they’re categorically invincible but more so because a lot of times we simply have a hard time seeing how challenging things have become for us. I think this is, in large part, due to ongoing socialization that tells us that we shouldn’t, or don’t need to, check in with ourselves regularly.
And when you don’t check in with yourself to identify what’s not going so well you can’t really implement solutions, right?
I think it’s this lack of awareness (and maybe some fear too) that make men so reluctant to see doctors and keep up with their health. But, is this idea of men not tending to their health overblown?
Consider these startling facts on men’s health:
Over 6 million men live with depression each year.
Men account for 35% of people with binge eating disorder.
Bipolar disorder is almost evenly split percentage-wise between men and women.
Men lead women in 9 of 10 of the major causes of death.
Men die, on average, 5 years earlier than women.
Men have a higher death rate by suicide.
Sources: Mental Health America & Men’s Health Month.
Given these statistics, when it comes to health for men, the situation is bleak.
Since Congress created Men’s Health Week decades ago (June 10-16 this year), we’ve seen progress in men taking better care of themselves. But, given these statistics we still have a lot of work to do to take better care of ourselves and better look out for one another.
To learn more about how you can take better care of your health or encourage the men in your life, visit menshealthmonth.org.
Author: Jor-El
Jor-El is Co-founder of Viva Wellness and a foodie and film buff. He most often writes about mental health, relationships, food and mindfulness. When he’s not busy working, he typically can be found lounging or walking around NYC with his pup Nomi.
