Addiction Treatment
Men’s Mental Health Statistics
Mental health hasn’t always been looked at as an integral part of an overall healthy life and for men, it’s historically been an afterthought all together. Taking care of one’s mental health hasn’t traditionally been viewed as a masculine trait and as such, phrases like “man up” serve as an indicator that it’s better to repress and bury emotions rather than work through them and into a place of greater overall mental health.
Fortunately for society, that stigma and worldview is slowly but surely being chipped away at and more men are seeking the help they genuinely need and deserve.
An Introduction to Men’s Mental Health
Mental illness is a genderless phenomenon in that it doesn’t care about which gender you are. We’re all susceptible to the pain and torment it causes. While help is often just a call or message away, many men don’t seek it out for fear of how they may be judged and a multitude of other reasons.
This is a real silent epidemic but the more we talk about it and normalize having those difficult conversations the better our overall health will become.
Facts About Men’s Mental Health
What is the most common mental illness in men?
Far and away the most common mental illnesses in men are depression and anxiety disorders. According to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, data from 2010 to 2013 showed that 9% of American men had feelings of depression or anxiety.
Suicide Rates by Gender
What is the suicide rate among men?
Before stepping into the stats on suicide, it’s worth noting that suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, with 48,344 Americans taking their own life in 2018 alone.
Given the higher likelihood that women will seek treatment, it’s no wonder that suicide rates are significantly higher for men. The CDC found that from 1999 to 2017 that across the board, in all age groups, suicide rates increased. Whereas it went from 4.0 to 6.1 suicides per 100,000 women, the rate for men went from 17.8 to 22.4.
In 2018 men died by suicide 3.56 times more than women according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and white males, in particular, accounted for 69.67% of suicide deaths. Over one-third.
The bottom line is that men are succumbing to their mental illnesses and a starkly higher rate than women. It’s troubling all around but those numbers speak volumes.
Which gender has the highest rate of depression?
As the Mayo Clinic notes, it’s been found that women are two times more likely as men experience depression and there are, of course, several contributing factors surrounding that. Nonetheless, the American Psychological Association found that 30.6% of men have suffered from a period of depression in their lifetimes, which is a stunning amount.
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Additional Statistics on Men’s Mental Health
Aside from anxiety and depression which we’ll address again at the end of the list, there are a whole host of mental health issues that men can face throughout their lives. All of these will be remarkably familiar and the more we’re able to speak on these topics, get them out in the open, the better the future can be for men’s mental health.
While this might not strike everyone as falling into their definition of “mental illness”, addiction is very much a disease of the mind. The American Psychiatric Association characterizes it as a complex condition, a brain disease that is manifested by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequences.
In the course of all our lives, we’ve all had encounters with addiction, either on a personal level as a user or knowing a loved one who has suffered from it. From the commonplace like alcohol and nicotine (tobacco) to sedative or stimulants to the ghastly tidal wave of opioids, addiction surrounds us.
The N.I.H. found that with respect to almost all drugs, men are more likely to use than women.
If you’re struggling with addiction, reach and learn more about drug rehab in Anaheim, California.
The common stereotype about PTSD in men is that it relates to men in the military, those who have seen things in combat. That’s what we see in the movies. In actuality, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is more than that as the name suggests. Trauma comes in as many forms as one can imagine.
The American Psychological Association found that while men experience more traumatic events than women, females are more likely to meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Additionally, the National Center for PTSD notes that while 4 out of 100 men will develop PTSD at some point in their lives, the number jumps to 10 for women.
This is your typical change in mood, it’s very normal to go through a range of emotions, what separates that from bipolar disorder, or manic-depressive, is the severity and overwhelming nature of those swings. The manic side of it being an excessive high and euphoria and the depressive side being just as advertised but in the extreme.
In the United States, 2.3 million people suffer with this mental illness and the rates are fairly even between men and women.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears that lead you to do repetitive behaviors. People are compelled to repeat these actions as a way to relieve the distress of the obsessions. These daily rituals can wreak absolute havoc on your day and ignoring them only serves to multiply the level of stress.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, an OCD diagnosis requires these obsessions/compulsions to be time-consuming, on the order of over an hour a day. They also note that 1.2% of Americans have.
Of all the mental illnesses we’ll cover, this is perhaps the one that is most overtly considered to be a non-issue for men for many. Again, it’s one of those preconceived ideas about masculinity that allows us to jump to conclusions like that because eating disorders are a very real issue that men deal with.
The National Eating Disorder Association points out that 1 in 3 people struggling with this illness are men. A 2005 study found that men made up 10% of anorexia and bulimia nervosa patients and a subsequent 2007 study found the number to be as high as 25% and men also made up about 35% of those who suffer from binge eating disorder.
And we’re back to where we started. Anxiety and depression truly are the biggest devastators in terms of mental health for men.
Aside from the fact that 9% males go through these illnesses, the troubling thing is that only 1 in 3 took medication for it and less, 1 in 4, went as far as to speak to a mental health professional about it.
Sadly, because of how depression can manifest itself differently in men than women, appearing as anger or aggression, it’s not always connected back to depression even by doctors.
The Stigma Around Mental Health Issues in Men
The largest roadblock and difficulty with getting men into treatment or even speaking on the topic is the stigma that’s associated with mental health issues in men. Men were traditionally expected to play their role, regardless of the situation. Be strong. Be tough. Keep your emotions in check. That type of behavior and ignoring of pressing mental issues is felt brutally on the inside.
That stigma varies by disorder, the more “unexpected” or “atypical” it is for men to experience something like an eating disorder, for example, the more the judgment, real or perceived, is felt. That can turn into a feedback loop where men think they don’t deserve treatment because they shouldn’t be going through mental illness in the first place.
The more we unpack those hard and fast gender roles and what a man is “supposed” to do, the quicker we can start to heal.
How Star Can Assist Men with
Mental Health Issues
At Star Recovery Center we understand the unique needs of men through and through when it comes to working through mental illness. In fact, our residential inpatient program is only for men so we can focus 100% of our energy on your specific needs. More than anything, we appreciate the stigma that men face regarding mental health struggles, which is why we strive to create an environment in our rehab centers in Orange County which remove that from the process and allows you to open up in a space designed specifically for you.
Residential inpatient treatment isn’t the end-all, be-all. We aim to be your final destination in reclaiming your life and moving forward, free of the mental health issues that have made life so challenging. Given that, we offer robust drug rehab aftercare to make the transition back into your life as easy as possible.
Stop suffering in silence and take the first step in getting your life back at Star Recovery Center.