What Shapes Men’s Mental Health Today?

A male friend recently told me, “I’m exhausted — you know, deeply exhausted in my soul,” and over the last few years, several of my male friends have expressed suicidal thoughts or attempted suicide — two of whom died.

Is this a common experience for men? Is men’s mental health in crisis?

When you look at the news, scroll on social media, or read the research into men’s mental health, it becomes clear that men are suffering, and many of them in silence.

In this post, I’ll explore what’s shaping men’s mental health today and why it’s being called a “silent crisis.”

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Why Men’s Mental Health Matters

The men of this world are our fathers, uncles, brothers, partners, friends, and colleagues, and they’re struggling, often without us realizing.

Yet, the global suicide rates reveal this truth about the internal lives of men: They’re more than twice as likely to die by suicide as women (World Health Organization, 2021).

They also face higher rates of substance misuse, incarceration, and violence (Rice et al., 2018), all of which are indicative of poor mental health. But reported rates of common mental health problems like anxiety and depression are lower among men than women.

This discrepancy is often explained by the stigma attached to men’s mental health.

Many men aren’t taught healthy ways of dealing with difficult experiences and emotions. Instead, they’re socialized to be independent, strong, and suppress their emotions — to “man up” and “tough it out.”

This can get in the way of seeking help, connection, and emotional literacy and lead to shame and withdrawal instead.

That’s why men’s mental health is often referred to as a silent crisis, and without intervention, it’s likely to deteriorate further.

How Do Men Experience Mental Health Struggles?

Mental health struggles are common in men (Priory, 2023), but they may be experienced and expressed differently due to traditional masculine norms, stigma, and socialization.

This can result in men not understanding what’s happening within them, and their mental health struggles being overlooked or undiagnosed.

Externalizing symptoms

Men are less likely to express sadness or depressive symptoms and more likely to experience externalizing symptoms such as anger, alcohol/substance misuse, or risk taking (Bilsker et al., 2018).

They may talk of being stressed, angry, exhausted, or emotionally numb, which are symptomatic of depression (Bilsker et al., 2018) but not diagnostically recognized.

Somatic symptoms

Poor mental health, such as anxiety, might be experienced as somatic symptoms, like body pains, panic attacks, and headaches (McKenzie et al., 2022).

Men are more likely to seek professional support for physical symptoms than emotional symptoms (National Institute of Mental Health, 2024), meaning their mental health struggles might go unnoticed.

What Affects Men’s Mental Health?

In addition to general factors affecting mental health, like genetics, environment, trauma, and lifestyle (WHO, 2022), men’s unique experiences of the world can also play a significant role in shaping their mental health.

Traditional gender norms

In many cultures, men are expected to present themselves as strong, competitive, in control, and unfazed by vulnerability. Being tough, unemotional, and dominant are prized, while any emotions that suggest vulnerability, like sadness, anxiety, or fear, might trigger shame and self-hatred.

Some men internalize the belief that expressing their feelings will make others see them as weak. Consequently, they might feel exhausted, angry, overwhelmed, defeated, and devastated, yet unable to reach out or find the tools to cope.

The changing face of masculinity

Traditional masculine norms are increasingly being challenged. Many men no longer want to be restricted by outdated ideals and are embracing a broader, more flexible definition of what it means to be a man.

This evolution of masculinity includes emotional literacy, vulnerability, diversity, nurturing roles, connection, and a search for meaning beyond material success.

While it allows men to more fully express themselves and seek help earlier, there’s still a way to go before this shift is universal.

Meaning and purpose

Having a sense of meaning and purpose is fundamental to positive mental health (American Psychiatric Association, 2023).

Crises such as job loss, divorce, or retirement can cause significant psychological distress in men, especially when they’re experienced as a failure to uphold traditional male roles of providing, protecting, and achieving material success (Sharp et al., 2022).

Mixed messages

Men receive mixed messages about what it means to be a man, especially on social media, for example:

• A real man is unemotional, earns a lot of money, is physically fit, and has sex with a lot of women (e.g., hypermasculinity or manosphere spaces).
• Men are toxic and privileged, and their testosterone levels are dangerous.
• Men need to be more vulnerable, share how they’re feeling, and know how to talk about their internal world.

These mixed messages might make men feel uncertain about their identity, behavior, purpose, and role in society, potentially undermining their wellbeing.

Social connection and loneliness

Loneliness is considered a growing problem, especially among men, and has been described as an epidemic (Office of the Surgeon General, 2023).

• Men are likely to say they have fewer good friends and lack people they feel they can talk to (Junttila et al., 2015).
• Loneliness has been linked to increased risk of depression, cardiovascular disease, and premature death, including suicide (Park et al., 2021).
• Masculine norms make it more difficult for men to open up, build meaningful connections, and feel seen and understood (Lear & Dorstyn, 2024).
• Negative past experiences of opening up can further discourage men from sharing their internal lives (McKenzie et al., 2018).

Stress and burnout

Without healthy support mechanisms, the pressure to succeed, provide, and be emotionally unaffected can lead to chronic stress and burnout (Boettcher et al., 2019).

Diversity of male experience

Men’s mental health is not only shaped by gender norms but also by intersecting factors such as race, sexuality, socioeconomic status, and disability. These can intensify mental health stigma, limit access to support, and influence how mental health challenges are experienced and expressed (Funer, 2023).

A Take-Home Message

The male mental health crisis is shaped by traditional gender norms, stigma, loneliness, and the stresses of modern life.

But it’s not hopeless. Research and conversations around men’s mental health are on the rise, and more men are speaking up about their experiences.

People are challenging the narrative around what it means to be a man and encouraging men to seek support before they reach a crisis point. With these key influences in mind, we will look at practical ways men can improve their mental health in the next post, where we focus on men’s mental health month.

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