Men's Mental Health?

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A silent crisis in men's mental health has been determined by a variety of researchers.

Psychology today writes "In the current economy, many men are finding it difficult to fulfill a breadwinner role, leaving them without a powerful sense of pride, purpose and meaning in life" (Whitley).  This connects back to the messages discussed in "MissRepresentation".  Men are raised with the expectation that they need to fill the role as head of the family, and provide for everyone.  High rates in suicide have been observed in groups that are perceived as rejected by mainstream society.  This leads to feelings of alienation and isolation.  Men are also found to have a high substance abuse rate in comparison to females.  The article states "Research indicates that many men engage in substance abuse in response to stressful life transitions including unemployment and divorce" (Whitley).  50 percent of marriages end in divorce, and only about 1 in 6 men have custody of their children, many with minimal visitation rights.  This again leaves men isolated from mainstream society as a "soul-destroying" force.    
Here is a link to resources for mental health:
http://www.stopstigmasacramento.org/resources/
Here is a link to the article:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-about-men/201702/mens-mental-health-silent-crisis

Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 3, 2018 at 12:43 PM

    I realize the problems with this as well. I think that setimes we always focus on how women are represented and not how media can affect men as well. I wish I knew how to solve these issues that the world has with societal norms right now I just don't know the solution because these ideas have been ingrained into our heads for such a long time it's hard to just flip it around.

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