Men’s Day: The Silent Mental Health Crisis We’re Still Not Talking About

Across borders, continents, cultures and generations, men are silently carrying the burdens which are largely unspoken. As the world marks the International Men’s Day today, the global conversation about men’s mental health and their emotional strength remains limited and needs to be urgently discussed.

Mental health professionals have warned that men today face severe challenges in coping up with stress, emotional pressure, societal expectations, economic demands and cultural norms. While this has been a pattern spanning from generations, men’s mental health has always been less talked about and has garnered attention in recent years with an increase in suicide rate and depression cases in the particular gender.

A worldwide pattern shows that men are less likely to seek help, but more likely to reach a breaking point which they too prefer to not discuss openly.

According to a report by WHO/Global Health Estimates from 2019, men accounted for 69% of global suicides globally. However regionally, reports indicate that in Jamaica alone out of the 67 suicides reported from 2024, 61 were men.

Other studies on Caribbean men indicate that suicide victims were male in a high percentage, while in the Americas there was a 3.5:1, men: women ratio in suicide mortality. Despite this growing awareness around mental health, experts say that the numbers reflect a deeper issue that ‘men are struggling in silence’.

Why men avoid speaking out?

While there is a lot of awareness around mental health awareness for men across the world, they still face emotional and cultural barriers to open up.

-Traditional Masculinity  Norms

In many societies, men are raised with a believe that expressing their feelings portray them as weak. They are told that they must be providers or protectors and should handle their problems alone. These expectations make men hide stress until it becomes overwhelming.

-Fear of Judgement and Shame

Men often avoid therapies or counselling not because they don’t want to get treated, but to avoid the fear of judgement.

-Limited Mental Health Services

While the government of many developing countries try to deliver the best mental health services or consultation, the awareness for these specifically for men is quite low including the islands in Caribbean. These are mostly underfunded or inaccessible.

Economic Pressure

Work related stress, financial independence and familial issues are some of the major reasons why men need to work over their mental health. These are some of the biggest contributors to poor mental health among men globally.

For many men economic setbacks become an emotional crisis especially when they feel that they have failed in their expected roles.

A call to Listen and to act

This International Men’s Day, we should do more than a celebration, we should commit to listening, to understand and to create a more comfortable space for men to act, to speak up and ask for help.

Families and friends should encourage conversations without emotional judgement. Men often feel comfortable and cherished with their male companions, the reason, they understand each other, they feel valued, and they feel embraced.

To be a man is never to not break, it is to feel, to carry and to ask for help when the burden feels too much.

Because no one should ever face their darkest thought alone.