Men and mental health
According to science, it is said that the human brain consumes 30% of the body's energy. Quite a lot for just a small section within the human skull. So it would seem, but this guy called the brain is indeed a wonderful CPU. We are creations of wonders. Artificial storage units survive in megabytes, gigabytes and terabytes but it seems the brain never gets exhausted of transmission. What did the eye see, what did the ears hear, what did our skin feel, what did our nose smell??? Ok, the list we go on and on. As I earlier said, does the brain never get obsessed?
This is something worth considering, the follow up question is, have you ever seen or heard of someone automatically breaking down? How many die of mental health related issues yearly. In this article, let's be focusing on men (male humans) to be more precise. They are the most victims of these circumstances. I happened to be going over a TV broadcast that was elaborating on mental health. The first part is that only few care about their mental health.
Mind you, you should be careful when you walk up to someone and tell him he has a mental health issue. People attribute this to be an insult. Are you saying I am mad? This is one of the voice raising tone replies you are likely to hear. It is difficult to address an issue when it has not been cited and accepted as a challenge. The death rate is on the rise and many are walking to and fro when asked 'how are you doing?', the reply is 'I am fine'.
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men are dying in silence. Why am I really spotting them out? The norms of the society. It is the sole duty of a man to take care of his family. Many a time they are at a high peak of mental disorder and refuse to share it with others. The fear of stigmatization is always there, when did you become this soft. Your friends and neighbor will attribute you to being a weakling. The story here is different for women, they easily voice out their situation and get immediate help. Research has shown that the percentage of women that escape mental health issues far exceeds men by a large margin.
You should not be surprised why we have more widows than widowers. This matter seems worse in Africa where men are expected to head the family in every angle. For instance, we have seen an economic shift in Nigeria that has brought about inflation in prices. Who was expecting an economy could skyrocket by up to if not even more than 500%. As a family man, you have mouths to feed, school fees to pay, family health to keep up with and the miscellaneous. In the midst of it, you are not permitted to do the assumed 'chickening out' by seeking external help under severe pressure.
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Over thinking sets in, you are contending with broken emotions; more like holding on to broken glasses. Over working becomes one of those options. If you TRY to explain how you are fairing to a friend or an elder, one of the usual replies will be a path at your back; 'be a man'. At most they could help you with one or two bottles of alcohol to salvage the situation. Does it always work out, from my point of view it is a big NO. A mental health situation is not something of take one or two shots of alcohol.
There is a need for sensitization if men in this context are to find any breathing space for self expression. It is something both governmental agencies and NGO's should work together to mitigate. Conferences, seminars and various ways of accessing mental health related help should be made available. It is not everyone that can afford a personal therapist or health advisers. We are talking of life here and there is a need to try and sustain the male existence.
To conclude, let me add, one thing leads to another. We can say that one of the leading factors of mental health related issues among male adolescents is poverty and a harsh economy. So many are not able to meet up with family demands. As I earlier said, a lot hangs on sensitization. Men should be allowed to express themselves and seek early help. Groups and communities could be formed that can help salvage these situations. A problem shared is most times half solved.
Yes, there is a need for government to also work on lessening economic pressure to lower responsibility demands on caregivers. Many men go to bed over thinking and wake up to continue the same, the risk here is high. From unstable mental health comes other health depriving issues and sicknesses.
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