At present, there is a silent epidemic claiming thousands of lives every year – mental illness and suicide. Mental health issues are one of the main contributing factors of worldwide disease figures. A staggering 1 in 6 people will have experienced a mental health problem in the past week alone. Whilst women are more likely than men to suffer from a mental health problem, 75% of all suicides in Great Britain carried out by men, with figures similar across the rest of the globe. This issue is so great that the main cause of death for men aged 20-49 is suicide. The following video explores the danger of the phrase ‘Man Up’, which is constantly heard by men and boys. One of the first steps to recovery is speaking about our problems, so it’s no surprise that men have such a hard time mentally when they are persistently told to bottle up their feelings. It’s time to talk and it’s time to change.
For more information:
Doward, J. (2018). Men much less likely to seek mental health help than women. The Guardian. [online]
Mental Health Foundation. (2018). Statistics | Mental Health Foundation. [online]
Mind (2018). “Man up”? Getting more “men” in mental health | Mind, the mental health charity – help for mental health problems. [online] Mind.org.uk.
Wells, J. (2018). Is ‘man up’ the most destructive phrase in modern culture?. The Telegraph. [online]
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