Men

[Holly]

I thought I start a thread about men's mental health ( just watching a program about it ) and why there are so many more men suffering from it today than say 20, 30 years ago and beyond, especially depression.
Is it perhaps we only know because men can talk about it more freely today, a subject that used to be taboo back then when "real" men weren't supposed to cry or show weakness, or is it because men grew up differently? Is there too much demand or pressure and emasculation by women going on?
It's a fact that more men than women commit suicide these days, so what changed if anything?

It'd be good to hear from you blokes out there, how do YOU feel about it?

[.SF.]

It's not gender-specific.

[Holly]

It's not gender-specific.

What do you mean? Depression and mental health? Of course it isn't but this thread is about the men species. I was just watching a program about men's mental health and they said men are more prone to suicide than women.

[.SF.]

It's not gender-specific.

What do you mean? Depression and mental health? Of course it isn't but this thread is about the men species. I was just watching a program about men's mental health and they said men are more prone to suicide than women.

That is probably misleading - a bit of research will reveal that women attempt suicide more frequently than men, but with a lower rate of success due to typical methods used.

[Holly]

It's not gender-specific.

What do you mean? Depression and mental health? Of course it isn't but this thread is about the men species. I was just watching a program about men's mental health and they said men are more prone to suicide than women.

That is probably misleading - a bit of research will reveal that women attempt suicide more frequently than men, but with a lower rate of success due to typical methods used.

You got a link for that? Perhaps you know more than the experts I just watched on TV.

[HobbitFeet]

It's not gender-specific.

What do you mean? Depression and mental health? Of course it isn't but this thread is about the men species. I was just watching a program about men's mental health and they said men are more prone to suicide than women.

That is probably misleading - a bit of research will reveal that women attempt suicide more frequently than men, but with a lower rate of success due to typical methods used.

why are you arguing the toss about everything that Holly says?

all you are doing is detracting from the issue of men that feel they are expected to suffer in silence

talk about a fucking own goal

[HobbitFeet]

I thought I start a thread about men's mental health ( just watching a program about it ) and why there are so many more men suffering from it today than say 20, 30 years ago and beyond, especially depression.
Is it perhaps we only know because men can talk about it more freely today, a subject that used to be taboo back then when "real" men weren't supposed to cry or show weakness, or is it because men grew up differently? Is there too much demand or pressure and emasculation by women going on?
It's a fact that more men than women commit suicide these days, so what changed if anything?

It'd be good to hear from you blokes out there, how do YOU feel about it?

all those poor men suffering from shell shock after the wars, evidence that mental health issues were very much a thing back then

sadly most of them were locked away with very little treatment, hidden from society and talked about in whispered tones

[drum]

There is very little help for men out there, there are services available but not like there are for women.
We have had a lot of suicides in my area, all young men who couldn't or wouldn't talk things out. They all leave young families behind.

With all suicides when a person gets to that level it's very difficult to get them out of that thinking, almost always too late as they do the deed and some other poor sod has to find them. The lucky ones are those who are found in time and manage to get a section , which is also very difficult now.

When you're that low that only suicide is an option for you it doesn't matter what anyone says, the person will probably still make a serious effort to end their lives, they've already squared that in their own heads, what you or others are thinking or feeling doesn't come into it. Some say it's a selfish way to deal with things, I don't agree.

sad.

[.SF.]

It's not gender-specific.

What do you mean? Depression and mental health? Of course it isn't but this thread is about the men species. I was just watching a program about men's mental health and they said men are more prone to suicide than women.

That is probably misleading - a bit of research will reveal that women attempt suicide more frequently than men, but with a lower rate of success due to typical methods used.

You got a link for that? Perhaps you know more than the experts I just watched on TV.

"Although females attempt suicide at a higher rate,[9][10] they are more likely to use methods that are less immediately lethal.[7][12][13] "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_differences_in_suicide#:~:text=The%20rate%20of%20nonlethal%20suicidal,is%20correlated%20with%20suicide%20attempts.

[Holly]

It's not gender-specific.

What do you mean? Depression and mental health? Of course it isn't but this thread is about the men species. I was just watching a program about men's mental health and they said men are more prone to suicide than women.

That is probably misleading - a bit of research will reveal that women attempt suicide more frequently than men, but with a lower rate of success due to typical methods used.

You got a link for that? Perhaps you know more than the experts I just watched on TV.

"Although females attempt suicide at a higher rate,[9][10] they are more likely to use methods that are less immediately lethal.[7][12][13] "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_differences_in_suicide#:~:text=The%20rate%20of%20nonlethal%20suicidal,is%20correlated%20with%20suicide%20attempts.

Hmmmm...

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that highest number of suicides was recorded among men aged 40 to 44. For this age group, men were more than four times as likely as women to commit suicide. In total, men make up 77% of all suicides in the UK.
Why more men than women?

There are many possible reasons why middle aged men are more at risk of depressive disorder than other groups in the population, and also why they might be less likely to seek help even after they become depressed. These include the changing role of women in our society who have become less dependent on their male partners, the decline of traditional male dominated jobs leading to a loss of identity as well as income, and relationship breakdown which can be more devastating for men than women. Women generally tend to be more 'emotionally literate' and are able to discuss their feelings with others rather than resorting to internalising their emotions or using alcohol or recreational substances as ways of coping with distress. This latter attribute, together with the fear and stigma of revealing low mood might further hinder the readiness of men to seek help for their symptoms.

https://www.priorygroup.com/blog/why-ar ... mongst-men

[Toke 'n' gesture]

It's not gender-specific.

What do you mean? Depression and mental health? Of course it isn't but this thread is about the men species. I was just watching a program about men's mental health and they said men are more prone to suicide than women.

That is probably misleading - a bit of research will reveal that women attempt suicide more frequently than men, but with a lower rate of success due to typical methods used.

Although it's true what you say, this thread isn't about who attempts it the most, it's about male depression and suicide, which is higher than in the female population, no matter the 'success' rate of the attempts.

In countries around the world, women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression and to attempt suicide. So why is the male suicide rate still several times higher than female?

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2019 ... than-women

My cousin (male) committed suicide about 20 years ago, we were still teenagers then and very close. We grew up together, he was such a fantastic person. I had no idea he was suffering, he never told anyone. Then one day out of the blue my mum had a phone call to tell us he'd died by suicide. I was devastated, bereft. It brought on a depression of it's own and i found it hard to get past for a long time.

Talking really does help though, and i did lots of it at the time. My mum made sure of it actually. I can't say i've ever really suffered since then though, so i guess i'm quite lucky.

[Holly]

I thought I start a thread about men's mental health ( just watching a program about it ) and why there are so many more men suffering from it today than say 20, 30 years ago and beyond, especially depression.
Is it perhaps we only know because men can talk about it more freely today, a subject that used to be taboo back then when "real" men weren't supposed to cry or show weakness, or is it because men grew up differently? Is there too much demand or pressure and emasculation by women going on?
It's a fact that more men than women commit suicide these days, so what changed if anything?

It'd be good to hear from you blokes out there, how do YOU feel about it?

all those poor men suffering from shell shock after the wars, evidence that mental health issues were very much a thing back then

sadly most of them were locked away with very little treatment, hidden from society and talked about in whispered tones

Yes I agree, back then it was... be tough, don't be weak, don't cry, just take it like a man. Must check out men's suicide rate from back in the war and earlier.

[Holly]

There is very little help for men out there, there are services available but not like there are for women.
We have had a lot of suicides in my area, all young men who couldn't or wouldn't talk things out. They all leave young families behind.

With all suicides when a person gets to that level it's very difficult to get them out of that thinking, almost always too late as they do the deed and some other poor sod has to find them. The lucky ones are those who are found in time and manage to get a section , which is also very difficult now.

When you're that low that only suicide is an option for you it doesn't matter what anyone says, the person will probably still make a serious effort to end their lives, they've already squared that in their own heads, what you or others are thinking or feeling doesn't come into it. Some say it's a selfish way to deal with things, I don't agree.

sad.

One of my family members hung himself at the age of 19, there was no indication of depression or mental health, one day he was his usual happy self the next day he took his life. Nobody knows why. My Mother's long time partner took his life also by hanging, I was about 12, a couple of days before we celebrated his birthday with a huge party and I remember him being so happy, he was dancing and laughing, no one knew he was depressed.

[.SF.]

why are you arguing the toss about everything that Holly says?

all you are doing is detracting from the issue of men that feel they are expected to suffer in silence

talk about a fucking own goal

Tetchy.

[Holly]

It's not gender-specific.

What do you mean? Depression and mental health? Of course it isn't but this thread is about the men species. I was just watching a program about men's mental health and they said men are more prone to suicide than women.

That is probably misleading - a bit of research will reveal that women attempt suicide more frequently than men, but with a lower rate of success due to typical methods used.

Although it's true what you say, this thread isn't about who attempts it the most, it's about male depression and suicide, which is higher than in the female population, no matter the 'success' rate of the attempts.

In countries around the world, women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression and to attempt suicide. So why is the male suicide rate still several times higher than female?

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2019 ... than-women

My cousin (male) committed suicide about 20 years ago, we were still teenagers then and very close. We grew up together, he was such a fantastic person. I had no idea he was suffering, he never told anyone. Then one day out of the blue my mum had a phone call to tell us he'd died by suicide. I was devastated, bereft. It brought on a depression of it's own and i found it hard to get past for a long time.

Talking really does help though, and i did lots of it at the time. My mum made sure of it actually. I can't say i've ever really suffered since then though, so i guess i'm quite lucky.

Thank you

It's especially tragic when young people take their life, I wonder why?... has the world become too demanding? Is there really so much pressure that they think life isn't worth living? ...but getting back to males, most women know that trying to get a male talking to you about their feelings is like trying to get blood out of a stone, and that needs to change, the stigma of being seen as weak needs to be addressed a lot more, boys should be taught in school about the importance of opening up.