June is Men’s Health Awareness Month and, even as a doctor specializing in women’s health, FOX 17 Women’s Health Expert, Dr. Diana Bitner says their health is an important piece of the overall health of our communities.
A big problem here is the difference in how health is perceived and handled between the genders.
Men experience mental health differently—being more likely to exhibit the physical symptoms of conditions like anxiety or depression like body pains, panic attacks, and headaches.
Boys who’ve experienced trauma or abuse in their lives and not received treatment grow up more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol or become physically or verbally abusive towards themselves and others.
Since men are still largely taught to push through physical symptoms like pain, illness, and injury—or ‘be a man’ in the face of emotions—we can see why their mental health issues get put on the backburner… if they make it onto the stove at all.
FOX 17 Women’s Health Tip of the Week
We need to build a culture that encourages men to take their health seriously.
It’s absolutely not up to us alone, but we share in the responsibility to make the change.
Normalize supporting boys and men when physical or mental health issues arise and encourage the men in your life to open their eyes to the benefits of healthy lifestyles—including getting help for mental health issues and dealing with childhood trauma.
Gentlemen, if you or a loved one needs mental health help or is considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or visit them online.
If you are in crisis, call 988. You are not alone.
Dr. Bitner's advice for today's article comes from these sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8895358/ Men’s Anxiety and why it matters
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/15579883231157971
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6560804/
