Why ‘manning up' isn't the answer

More and more men are suffering in silence with poor mental wellbeing in what’s been described as a health crisis

- Shannon Manuel

IT ’S BEEN DESCRIBED AS THE SILENT KILLER OF COVID-19. The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) states that rates of depression among men in South Africa are at an all-time high. Compared to 10 years ago, more men are visiting psychiatric hospitals due to burnout and depression.

According to SADAG, men tend not to seek help unless their symptoms are serious, and although depression is ranked high on the list of chronic diseases, most men aren’t seeking treatment.

Mental health issues are often viewed or considered a ‘women’s issue’ and, as such, men often feel they’re not part of it.

‘No one is safe, no matter their gender. Anyone can develop them at any point in time. Statements such as these make it hard for men who have mental health issues to consult or seek help from a professional because they believe people will think they’re weak if they do. Unfortunately, they suppress these issues and continue to suffer in silence unnecessarily,’ says Dr Daniel Letsoalo from the Department of Health.

Although research suggests they affect twice as many women as men, there are findings that men may talk differently about them or, in most cases, not at all, about their symptoms.

‘One reason statistics on men are low is that they don’t seek help as women do, which creates the impression they don’t experience mental health issues. In reality, they do.

‘I believe the terms ‘crisis’ and ‘silent killer’, to a certain extent, capture the essence and describe the emerging trend or pattern of mental health issues observed during this pandemic. It’s undeniable Covid-19 brought with it many challenges that exacerbated pre-existing mental health issues,’ he says.