While the overall prevalence of mental health challenges in men is typically lower than in women, those challenges often go unaddressed.
Depression and suicide are leading causes of death among men. Six million men are affected by depression in the United States every year, and men die by suicide at a rate four times higher than women.
As hard as it is, I have had to learn to view asking for help and accepting help as acts of strength, not signs of weakness. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy wrote these same words recently, and for obvious reasons, they resonated with me. So, I want to offer these strategies to promote mental well-being and help people be them best selves:
1. Acknowledge your feelings
Allow yourself to feel sad. Acknowledge when things do not go as planned — isolation, disrupted routines, perhaps even the loss of a job or a loved one. Grieve as you need to.
2. Talk about what you are feeling
Identify someone in your life you can talk to openly and honestly about the emotional challenges you face. If you feel yourself experiencing sadness or anxiety for an extended period, ask for professional help. Your primary care physician or a mental health professional can provide additional information and support.
3. Recognize that others may need your support
Check in with friends and loved ones and offer help by providing information and resources if you notice someone struggling. Give reassurance by listening nonjudgmentally and empathizing with their experiences. Mental Health First Aid, a program from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, teaches people how to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health challenges like depression, such as difficulty sleeping, impaired concentration, and lack of interest in work and activities that were once enjoyable.
4. Prioritize your physical health
Engage in physical activity, get plenty of sleep, and eat nutritious foods. Overindulgence can add to stress and affect your overall health and well-being.
5. Seek treatment for substance use disorders
The recent release of the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed how common substance use disorders are among people of all ages. It reported:
- 70.5 million people (24.9%) ages 12 and older used illicit drugs in the past year, compared with 70.3 million people in 2022 and 61.2 million in 2021.
- 48.5 million people (17.1%) ages 12 and older had a substance use disorder in the past year, compared with 48.7 million people in 2022 and 46.3 million in 2021. Among this group, 28.9 million people (10.2%) had an alcohol use disorder in 2023, compared to 29.5 million in 2022.
While substance use disorders are common, treatment is not. Among the 48.5 million people who had a substance use disorder in the past year, 85.4% (41.4 million) did not receive treatment.
However, recovery is possible. The National Council for Mental Wellbeing created a campaign: Start With Hope, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Shatterproof, and the Ad Council. Our goal is to raise awareness about the possibility of recovery for people with substance use challenges and connect people to the resources available to Black men and Hispanic/Latinx populations.
We also helped form Team: Changing Minds, alongside Futures Without Violence, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and founding investor Harry’s, to create a national network of mental health responders dedicated to helping young men of color recognize early signs of mental health challenges and connect to resources for support.
Acknowledging mental health and substance use challenges and seeking treatment for them puts mental well-being within reach.
