Men struggle too.

Men's mental health is just as important as women's and should not be ignored. It is time to help men in the full spectrum of their lives."

- Michael Kaufman, psychotherapist and author of "The Wounded Male: Healing The Men We Love"

Men are often encouraged to mask their emotions and don’t want to be seen as soft or weak. This is a cultural stigma that can lead men to feel like they cannot talk about mental health issues with their friends, family members or colleagues.

This is just one of the reasons why International Men's Day (IMD) is so important, the day exists for a number of reasons including;

- To raise awareness and understanding about men's and boys' health and well-being through a focus on preventative action;

- To celebrate the positive contributions made by men; and

- To highlight discrimination against men and boys.

Men's mental health is an issue that has been overlooked for too long. Not only this, but mental health in general is being widely ignored and everyone regardless of their gender should give their health an utmost priority.  As a society, we need to do more to raise awareness for this problem and provide solutions for these issues facing our fathers, sons, brothers, uncles and friends.

According to The Male Insight Initiative, they have conducted a study which included 1,339 men aged 18-65 and found these results:

- 71% of men who took part in the study said that they felt sad or depressed at least once a week

- 74% of respondents said they had experienced panic attacks in the last year

- 79% said they had experienced high levels of anxiety in their lifetime - 82% said they had never spoken to anyone about their feelings or emotions.

“I believe the biggest stigma right now with mental health is that a lot of men are not talking about it.

  ~ Mauro Ranallo(Sports Commentator)

Men are less likely to want to talk about their emotions or seek help when they're not feeling well and this can lead to a lack of awareness and outreach for these guys' mental wellness needs. Men are traditionally seen as strong, silent types who should be self-reliant and tough,  but the truth is that they often feel intense emotional pain just like everyone else does.

The reasons why men avoid seeking help from healthcare providers or friends include: they want to be problem solvers; they want others to think they're strong; deep down inside they believe that showing weakness is unmanly; men do not want people to know that they’re not coping well; men don't want anyone thinking there's anything wrong with them.

“Men suffer a lot behind the mask of manliness."                                                              

~ Vineet Aggarwal (Author)

With that said, here's what you need to know about men's mental health:

· It's more common in adults than childhood

· Medication and therapy can help if you know what you're dealing with

· Men experience higher rates of suicide than women

It is important to have a day to talk about men's issues and their mental health without the stigma of the word "mental." International Men's Day is that day. We should be talking not only about men on this day but also about what we can do to make mental health care more available and accessible to everyone, including men.

International Men’s Day started in Trinidad in 1999 when a group of Caribbean women got together and decided they wanted to create a day dedicated to celebrating manhood and calling attention to the challenges that males face globally. It was designed for both genders and all ages because it was apparent the sooner we start working together as a society, the sooner we can start creating solutions for gender parity in our world.

Content :- Girishma

Graphics :- Nandini Mehndiratta