International Men's Day 2024: Understanding mental health challenges in men, know ways organisations can break the stigma

On International Men's Day, let's take a moment to honour the invaluable contributions of men to our society, families, and communities. Today, we celebrate not only the strength and resilience men show but also their compassion, wisdom, and mental well-being. This year's International Men's Day theme is "positive male role models" to highlight the importance of fostering positive relationships and promoting mental health among men.

The importance of men¡¯s mental health¡ªboth at the workplace and at home¡ªcannot be overstated. Globally, around 12 billion working days are lost each year to depression and anxiety alone, costing an estimated US$ 1 trillion each year of lost productivity, reported the World Health Organization (WHO).

As per the report, it is evident that men are significantly less likely to seek help for mental health challenges. Moreover, alcohol abuse, depression, and specific phobias are among the most common mental health disorders affecting men, and the global suicide rate is over twice as high among men than women, underscoring the severity of this issue.

¡°Men are more vulnerable to societal pressures and stigma, causing them to suffer in silence, pressure to stay strong and unaffected. They also avoid seeking help for mental health from the people around them. On this International Men¡¯s Day, we urge you to recognise these challenges and act upon them,¡± says Dr Vikram Vora, Medical Director and Chief Health Officer (Indian Subcontinent) at International SOS.

Organisations can play an important role in this by providing an environment where mental health is nurtured and prioritised.

What steps should workplaces take to address the issue?

Organisations should indulge in providing counselling sessions for their employees, training for managers, and peer support programs to enhance the mental well-being of their staff.

In every organisation, male employees should be vocal about their problems and discuss them with their immediate managers to resolve them. According to Dr. Vora, ¡°Workplaces should strive towards providing a supportive work culture, try to normalise the disturbed behaviours of their employees by providing counselling, and empower male employees to prioritise their mental well-being.¡±

What Men Face:

1) Career challenges are often mapped to meeting expectations of parents and peers.

2) A happily married life is what most men man in India have been conditioned to seek as a benchmark of ¡°a happy life¡±.

3) Making ends meet, if not luxurious.

4) The longing for validation and appreciation from friends, workplace colleagues, and family.

Others include:

As time goes on, challenges keep getting tougher with newer goals.

Expectations from family members.

The organisational environment plays a big role.

Dr. Roshan Mansukhani (HC), Founder and Therapist at Music¡ªA Holistic Heal, Mumbai, points out, ¡°Like women, men too have their share of problems that can be very disturbing but can't be spoken about or addressed due to the stigma surrounding the topic of mental health.¡± He shares some ways to tackle the situation:

How should organisations tackle this?

1) Have bi-monthly wellness sessions in office spaces for employees.

2) Welcome the families of employees at least twice a year to the office.

3) Assign a therapist or counsellor to visit the office at least once a week. Make sure the chamber or cabin is a closed one and not with a glass partition alone. People want to be heard. Someone they can confide in, someone who won't judge them.

Addressing the underlying stress shall increase productivity. It shall help to strike a balance between the personal and professional front.

4) Have some nice music played on the office floor for 7 minutes every morning as they come to work as that sets the mood for the day ahead.

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