Mind Over Masculinity: Breaking the Stigma of Men’s Mental Health

This article is a repost which originally appeared on RHODY HEALTH/Cranston HERALD

Edited for content. The opinions expressed in this article may not reflect the opinions of this site’s editors, staff or members.

Written by: Eric Tirrell, clinical manager of the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) program and the research operations manager for the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in Neuromodulation at Butler Hospital and Joshua Davis a program therapist in the Butler Hospital’s Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program. 

Mental health is a crucial part of our overall well-being, yet it remains a topic that is often misunderstood, stigmatized, and overlooked, especially for men. For far too long, men have been expected to suppress their emotions, to tough it out, to soldier on through difficult times. This resulted in a significant gap in our understanding of men’s mental health needs and an alarming disparity in the rates of suicide, substance abuse, and other mental health issues among men.

By breaking down the walls of stigma and shame surrounding men’s mental health, we can start addressing this critical issue with compassion, understanding, and empathy. Here we will explore the importance of men’s mental health, the challenges men face when seeking help, and the available treatment options that can help them achieve greater emotional well-being and fulfillment.

Sobering Statistics

• Men are more likely to die by suicide than women. In the United States, men account for nearly 75% of all suicides.

• Men are less likely to seek help for mental health issues than women. In a survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, only 35% of men reported they would seek help from a mental health professional, compared to 58% of women.

• Men are more likely to struggle with certain mental health conditions. For example, men are more likely to be diagnosed with alcohol dependence and antisocial personality disorder, while women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorders.

• Men are more likely to experience workplace stress and burnout. According to a survey by the American Institute of Stress, men are more likely to report feeling overwhelmed at work and are less likely to take time off to care for their mental health.

• Men are more likely to engage in risky behaviors as a coping mechanism. This can include substance abuse, reckless driving, and other dangerous activities.

Importance of Men’s Mental Health

Men’s mental health is important for many reasons.

1. Mental health issues can severely affect a man’s quality of life. This includes relationships, work, and personal goals.

2. Depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions can impact a person’s ability to function, causing them to feel hopeless, isolated, and overwhelmed.

3. Untreated mental health conditions can lead to physical health issues like heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

4. Mental health issues can have a ripple effect on those around them, including family members, friends, and colleagues.

5. When men struggle with mental health issues, it can impact their relationships and those closest to them.

6. Addressing men’s mental health is crucial for building a more equitable society that prioritizes all individuals’ well-being, regardless of gender.

Contributing Factors

Several factors contribute to men’s reluctance to seek help for mental health issues. These include societal expectations of masculinity, mental health stigma, and a lack of awareness about available resources.

Men are often expected to be strong, stoic, and self-sufficient, making it difficult to acknowledge their struggles and ask for help. Additionally, mental health stigma can make men feel ashamed or weak for struggling with mental health issues, further preventing them from seeking help.

Treatment Options for Men’s Mental Health

Fortunately, several treatment options are available for men struggling with mental health issues. These include:

• Therapy: Talk therapy can involve working with a mental health professional to identify and address mental health issues. Therapy can be conducted in person, online, or over the phone and can help men develop coping strategies, manage symptoms, and improve their overall mental health.

• Medication: In some cases, medication can be used to treat mental health issues. This may include antidepressants, anti-anxiety medication, or mood stabilizers. Medication can help manage symptoms and improve overall mental health but should always be prescribed and monitored by a healthcare professional.

• Support groups: Support groups can be valuable for men struggling with mental health issues. These groups provide a safe space for men to share their experiences, connect with others going through similar challenges, and receive emotional support.

• Lifestyle changes: Making lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and practicing stress-management techniques, can also improve mental health. These changes can help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, improve mood, and promote overall well-being.

• Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT): ECT uses brief, low-energy electrical pulses to stimulate nerve-cell activity in the part of the brain that affects mood. Stimulating this area helps to alleviate symptoms of depression. The electrical impulses are delivered through electrodes placed on the scalp. Patients are given anesthesia to relax and ensure the procedure is pain-free.

• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS): TMS is an FDA-approved outpatient treatment that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerves in the brain non-invasively. This innovative and safe technique requires no sedation or anesthesia and successfully treats individuals suffering from Major Depressive Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Published reports from TMS treatment studies for depression show that more than half of patients treated with TMS Therapy experienced significant improvements in symptoms, and one-third of patients experienced full remission of their depressive episodes.

Disclaimer: The content in this blog is for informational and educational purposes only and should not serve as medical advice, consultation, or diagnosis.  If you have a medical concern, please consult your healthcare provider, or seek immediate medical treatment. 

How I Use Biohacking to Overcome Burnout at Work

Work stress resulted in depression and led this entrepreneur to seek new solutions.

By Simon Lovell October 28, 2021

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

This article is a repost which originally appeared on Entrepreneur

Edited for content

When you’ve spent so many days in front of the computer screen anxious, mentally exhausted and unable to focus on the work you love, you start to look for answers. 

My build-up to burnout at work started with low-level stress, which then increased to anxiety. I would stay up late at night, force myself into bed and then get interrupted sleep, causing me to be grumpy the next day.

Over time, this lack of self-control manifested in irritability, anger and a lack of confidence, increasing my use of cigarettes, alcohol and anything else to block me from feeling my emotions because I couldn’t handle them. I was in denial about what was happing in my personal relationships and constantly blamed the people around me without taking responsibility for my own mental health.

Eventually, this disconnection from my body led to self-doubt and social isolation. When people would invite me out, I would use two excuses: “I’m too tired” or “I’m too busy.” These were lies to protect me from being around people because I couldn’t handle the feelings that would come up when trying to connect with others. 

The final stage of this aggressive attack on my true self was pushing those closest to me away. Unable to understand myself, I started to question who I was as a man, confused about my identity and desperate for answers. I was not present; I was preoccupied with my overactive mind and self-judgment.

That’s when I turned to biohacking. 

Biohacking entails hitting a challenge or number of challenges from multiple angles until you come up with an optimum solution. Sometimes, this can be a very costly journey, as it was for me. I have invested over $250,000 to “sort myself out.” But I got the results I wanted, and once I did, I was determined to see if the process could help other people too. 

My clients, who are working in very demanding roles, need to be at their best, and when their burnout is causing pressure at home, that’s normally when I get the message to help. They don’t understand how their brain works and need a plan to get back into the zone.

Here’s what happens when I’m working specifically with someone who is successful and need to get him or her back on track within days.

Biohack No. 1: Supercharging meditation 

If you are going through a serious illness and are told by your doctor to go to the hospital for a five-day treatment that will preserve your ability to walk, you’re going to do it. Often, that’s not the case when meditation is the prescription. 

Many business owners are inconsistent with meditation because they don’t understand the significant impact that daily meditation at a certain time can have on reducing burnout and speeding up recovery. If you meditate for two days, then feel a little better and go back to your normal habits, you did little to rewire yourself or shift your consciousness — just like eating spinach twice will not make you lean (or Popeye). The brain requires strong and frequent action to forge “synaptic strength.” 

When I’m guiding my leaders through specific meditations (before they start work is key), it’s not just about the type of meditation: It’s about the consistency and actions that are taken afterward that also create a shift away from burnout. But variety is key in biohacking.

In the early stages, guided meditations are better for newcomers to meditation, especially entrepreneurs who have struggled in the past with being consistent. The mind wanders too much when there are simply sounds and music. If they are too “boring” for the ego early on, the impatient entrepreneur’s mind will sabotage the long-term benefits. It’s a trap so many fall into. I once did too. 

Biohack No. 2: Awareness elevation

Neuroscience teaches us that education alone isn’t enough to change us. The best example of this is courage (a key part of bouncing back from burnout). You don’t become a courageous person from reading about courage. However, someone can bring awareness to a part of your personality that you may not be aware of, and then you get the opportunity to take a different action. If you always give your friends advice and get frustrated with nothing changing, it’s likely because of this very principle. People have to want change badly enough to enact it. 

We can start to overcome burnout at work quickly when we get the right education and then act. When this happens over a sequence of days, this backs up the already shifted energy in the morning (via meditation), which acts as a baseline for conscious actions. Without this, the actions are less likely because energies such as fear are still active in the nervous system. The body needs to feel safe to take action, which is a major factor in continued procrastination. 

Biohack No. 3: Breaking the “stuck” cycle

When stress and disconnection build up to a level that robs others of our presence, we get caught in a repetitive cycle doing the same thing over and over again. This creates more frustration. When I’m guiding my clients back into flow, peace and ease in their business, to support the first two biohacks, I’m giving them specific micro-actions every day so that they alter what can become a mundane routine. 

This could be as simple as trying out a different coffee shop, but builds over time until that spark and variety of life is injected, and the mind also starts to shift from its “mind-set-point.” When you hear “change your mindset,” it’s really about changing your actions, which comes from a different energetic system. Then, when we feel good about what we just did or revisit what we once lost, we go back into business with that fire, happiness and love that were temporarily lost because of the disconnection between the mind and the heart.

These elements work on their own and together, much like a truly healthy smoothie; one ingredient can work well, but it’s better to shoot for the ideal blend that works together for optimum results, especially if you want to be back to your best.

If you’re reading this and feel compelled to take action, yet continue not to act, you’re training yourself to repeat the same inaction. Do something now. There is a window of opportunity that was just opened for you.

Written By
Simon Lovell
Entrepreneur Leadership Network Contributor

Simon Lovell’s clients hire him to develop their emotional superpowers for next-level success and happiness. He is the creator of the Super High-Performance Formula and author of ‘The Black Ball: Does Anybody Else Have A Secret?’