Mens mental health

[muggybear]

Tonight i cant stop thinking about a young man i used to know who recently committed suicide, the weekend before he had been a seemingly happy young man playing a game of footy and being voted best and fairest, on monday night he had taken his own life no one had any idea that he had been feeling so alone and suicidal and it in a way made me so angry that that poor boy was suffering so horribly, at his funeral his mother organised for someone to come and talk about mental health and i felt that was such a brave and inspiring thing for this mother to do at her childs funeral, and it got me thinking back to when i was in highschool and i was thinking about mental health and what we were taught about everything that it was and the services that were available, and i remembered that the teachers seperated us and we were taught about mental health while the boys were taught about respecting women, mens mental health is not discussed enough in society and needs to be. there are more cases of male suicide then female, yet on the TV tonight i only saw ads for women and depression. Men need to be heard and not have the situation pushed under the rug or ignored.

[Obayan]

I'm not so sure men's mental health and women's mental health should be segregated in today's society where more men and women are reversing roles. Men are now househusbands and women are in the executive world. I think there are certain concerns about how men and women are raised differently that does need to be address but by both sexes equally. More people do need to be aware about mental health concerns and educated, on that i agree. And I think that mother was amazingly strong to do what she did at her son's funeral.

[pablos]

I think there always has been and still is a stigma toward mental health. I also believe that most people simply do not know how to interact with people who have mental illness or don't want to. And finally, I think that many people do not realize or are in denial that they have a problem. The stigma definately has an impact on this. People do not want others to know they have a problem.
I think anxiety and depression are very prevalant in society today because of the times, the demands of the world, the bomb bartment of everything, the economy, unemployment, etc.

And yes, men have been taught to not express their feelings so it is not ok for them to talk about being depress.

I know for myself, when I want to talk about whats happening, talk with someone, get conneted, etc, no one wants to hear about it or no one is available. That is the advantage of this forum and other support groups where we can take care of ourselves and interact with others who experience the same things we experience.

pablos

[Obayan]

I agree with so much of what you said. that's why we need to educate people.

[DLO]

Well said Muggybear.

[Obayan]

Hi DLO. welcome to the forums.

[muggybear]

Society will always be segregated because we are different and that needs to be recognized i just believe that we need to focus on men for a while the rate of male suicide is higher in men then women in Australia significantly higher and something needs to be done starting in the school system

[Obayan]

I wholeheartedly agree that more attention needs to be made to this subject. I also believe that the more people are educated about this the more compassion we will recieve. That's why i love these forums so much. It is another tool for us to use to educate those around us and help support eachother in so many ways. Thank you for posting here hon. I hope you continue.