Men are more likely to shy away from discussing their mental health issues in public due to fear of being made fun of.
Sample these recent events: In Rajasthan’s Sikar, a 40-year-old lawyer immolated himself alleging harassment by government officials and police. In Lucknow, a 26-year-old MBBS student was found hanging in his hostel room. In Andhra Pradesh’s Machilipatnam, a 15-year-old boy allegedly hung himself after being mocked by cousins for losing a PUBG round. In a Bengaluru hostel, another 13-year-old boy killed himself in a similar fashion after being denied a phone call on his mother’s birthday.
As the world marks International Men’s Health Week from June 13-19, psychiatrists warn of an overwhelming number of men and boys in India taking the extreme step due to depression and anxiety over professional, personal, financial and emotive issues.
According to global data platform Statista, suicides among Indian men rose from 87,000 in 2010 to 91,500 in 2015 to a mammoth 108,500 in 2020. This translates to 300 suicides by men every day in India in the pandemic year, that was marked by widespread income loss and financial difficulties. Suicides by Indian women dipped from 47,000 in 2010 to 42,000 in 2015, and upped slightly to 44,500 in 2020.
And yet, men are more likely to shy away from discussing their mental health issues in public due to fear of being made fun of by their peers. “Some of the causes for suicides in the country were due to professional problems, abuse, violence, family problems, financial loss, sense of isolation and mental disorders,” noted Statista.
Another earlier data too sent out chilling signals on the scale of mental health problems among Indian men. Almost 70 per cent of calls received on the Centre’s mental health helpline number in the first few months of its launch have been from men!
The helpline KIRAN was launched by the Union social justice and empowerment ministry on September 16, 2020. As per reports, between September 2020 and May 2021, the helpline received 30,000 calls, of which only 30 per cent were from women. Over half the calls were related to depression and anxiety, with students constituting a third of the total callers. Some 77 per cent callers were in the 15-40 age bracket.
“Our societal systems often do not allow men to express sadness, anxiety or worry. The only emotion that then comes out is anger which pushes the vulnerable further into isolation. Men are not taught coping mechanisms. Seeking help comes after accepting one’s emotions and expressing them. But most men have no idea what to do in these situations and try to run away from them,” says Dr Jini K Gopinath, chief psychology officer at emotional wellness platform YourDOST.
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“Women discuss their emotions during get-togethers, but men’s gatherings are filled with mostly political debates. There is no outlet for men. They need awareness, education and wide support systems for ventilation of mental health issues. We also need society to be more empathetic. We need a paradigm shift,” Dr Gopinath added.
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