Movember Takes on Mental Health

Movember is a popular annual event that asks men to grow out their mustaches in November in support of various men’s health issues. Some of the issues the organization has supported in the past include prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men’s suicide. November 2024 is dedicated to men’s suicide awareness.

What Is Movember?

Movember is a foundation that started in 2003. The term Movember is a combination of the words “mustache” and “November.” Men are encouraged to grow mustaches throughout Movember to raise awareness for the year’s physical or mental health issues. At the end of the month, the mustache can be shaved. Friends and family members typically support the initiative by donating to the foundation to support the individual growing out his facial hair for a good cause.

Individuals can also support Movember in other ways, such as hosting an awareness event or donating money.

Movember Mental Health in November 2024: Men’s Suicide Awareness

The campaign for November 2024 is men’s suicide awareness. The foundation wants to bring to light some of the shocking statistics about men and suicide. This year, the foundation is highlighting that, on average, one man dies from suicide every minute. Young men are going through a mental health crisis, and something needs to be done to stop these tragic outcomes.

A theme of Movember campaigns is overcoming the shame and stigma men feel about getting the help they need. Men don’t talk about or seek out testing for prostate cancer and testicular cancer, even though these are dangerous health conditions. Similarly, many men feel too ashamed to seek treatment for depression and suicidal thoughts.

Here are some more enlightening and shocking facts about male suicide:

• In the United States, males commit suicide at four times the rate of females.
• Male deaths represent 79% of suicides in the United States, which is approximately 100 men dying by suicide every day.
• Suicide is killing young men in the country at rapidly increasing rates. The second most common cause of death for men under 45 is suicide.
• Over 6 million men suffer from depression annually, but depression in men often goes underdiagnosed.

Men are suffering from mental health issues at significant rates, and they’re less likely to seek professional treatment. The data shows that men are also more likely to die from drug or alcohol-related issues than women, which indicates that they’re turning to substances to cope.

The Macho Epidemic

Sadly, so much of this problem stems from the fact that men feel that asking for help makes them look weak. Society teaches males they must be strong at all times, which can be internalized into thinking that asking for help isn’t a viable option.

Men are just as likely to suffer from anxiety and depression as women, so why should getting help look any different between the sexes? Mental health treatment is effective and accessible, but the key is getting started. When men convince themselves that they aren’t struggling and don’t need help, they can go down a dangerous path of their symptoms worsening. Ultimately, this can lead to suicidal thoughts.

Toxic Assumptions About Men

There are many dangerous assumptions out there that both men and women hold onto about “what it means to be a man.” These beliefs can negatively impact any male who’s struggling with their mental health:

• Men are less emotional than women. Often, men are conditioned from childhood that “men don’t cry.” Generally speaking, there’s an expectation that men show their emotions less often for everything — pain, joy, and fear. But this is preposterous. Men are humans too and feel just as deeply as women. Teaching men to suppress their emotions is unhealthy. It means they can’t process their thoughts or feelings or fully share themselves with others.
• Men aren’t nurturing parents. Stereotypical father and mother roles have the mother being the nurturing provider while the father is the tough and fun parent. But men love their children just as deeply as women and can fill a nurturing role as well. When men are told not to fit this role, it diminishes their experience as parents.
• Men can’t be sexually or physically abused. Indeed, women are physically and sexually abused at higher rates than men, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen to men as well. In the United States, 13.8% of men aged 18 and older have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Telling men they can’t be victims can have devastating results, including them not seeking help, not leaving relationships and not reporting crimes.
• Men want sex all the time. Watch any sitcom or comedy and you’ll often see the storyline play out of the man who wants sex all the time and his wife or girlfriend who can’t keep up with these sexual demands. It’s ingrained into our culture that men should be sex-obsessed and have an active libido at all times. In reality, men have ups and downs in their libido just as much as women. Additionally, factors such as stress, mental health, and even physical health conditions can lower a man’s libido. However, due to this vastly accepted male stereotype, many men feel less masculine when their libido is less active, impacting their self-esteem and increasing stress levels.

Suicide Awareness Can Help

Movember has taken on the noble mission of helping men realize there’s nothing wrong with seeking help. Depression is a complex condition to live with, and it’s not something that will simply go away on its own one day. However, treatment is highly effective. Young men don’t need to keep dying from suicide in such large numbers if they can accept professional support.

The most common types of treatment for depression are therapy and medication. Therapy allows the patient to understand their condition, dig into what their triggers are, and learn coping mechanisms so they can manage their symptoms.

And medication is an optional step that some, but not all, patients take. Antidepressants are proven to help individuals feel better in just a few weeks or months. Your therapist can discuss medication options with you.

Hopefully, every outgrown mustache this November reminds men that they don’t need to suffer any longer. The bravest, strongest thing any male can do is seek help when needed.

Mental Health Support at FHE Health

Don’t allow yourself to become part of a sad statistic. At FHE Health, our mental health rehab programs help patients heal the way they need. Our staff is understanding, compassionate and experienced, so you’ll always feel cared for. Contact us today to hear more about what we can do for you.