Overlooked Struggles
Senior Noah Pham is one of the many students, specifically men, who have struggled with their mental health.
“I’ve struggled with my mental health, and I know a lot of people in my life that have,” Pham said. “Just seeing other people struggle with It has kind of opened up my eyes to how big of a problem [mental health] is in everyone’s life.”
In just the last year, Mental Health America reports that one in five teenagers has had a serious depressive episode. Over half of those teens -or close to three million youth- never received treatment for their mental illness.
Women are more likely to have mental health issues, as per the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). But the numbers don’t add up. Men die by suicide at a rate of four times as much as women.
While men have a responsibility to get aid for their health, society has not been equal in the way that men’s mental health has been treated compared to women. Larger societal factors such as stereotypes or portrayals of men in the media can influence how men internalize their mental health.
Harmful Stereotypes
According to AAMC, 80% of suicides are committed by men. One reason could be that men don’t feel comfortable reaching out to their friends for support. And while support systems between peers are always a good resource when needing a pick-me-up, but junior Austin Sutton describes why peers could be hesitant to reach out to their friends.
“People tend to ridicule [men] for reaching out,” Sutton said. “This could mean that people think less of [men] because they’re not as perfect as they seem, but typically it’s a more self-induced reason to not reach out, [men] think that they don’t have problems.”
Even if men take the first step to get help, that doesn’t mean that they’re able to gain support right away. AAMC reports that only 40% of men who had mental illness and went to health professionals were treated.
The University of California reports that when health professionals are dealing with men rather than women, they’re more likely to be dismissive of symptoms of mental illness. Almost 60% of men who died by suicide had reached out to a health professional for support within that year.
“People tend to ridicule [men] for reaching out,” Sutton said. “This could mean that people think less of [men] because they’re not as perfect as they seem, but typically it’s a more self-induced reason to not reach out, [men] think that they don’t have problems.”
Not all men who have mental health problems are aware of what they’re dealing with. The American Journal of Public Health reports that men can have a harder time differentiating depression from stress.
DHS social worker Joe Kordalski describes why men might not reach out, but why it’s needed.
“[Men] want to put on this facade or show that [they] can do it on [their] own,” Kordalski said. “The fact of the matter is that everybody, regardless of your age or your abilities or your sex or gender, has points and times in [their] life when [they] need to reach out and ask for help.”
Speaking Up
According to The American Psychiatric Association in every society and culture there is a negative stigma around mental health. With pressures from family, peers or even entertainment men have often been taught to keep their emotions suppressed.
Carlos Olivas, a para educator, boys soccer coach and father of two, remembers how people outsi
de of his family growing up discussed mental health and how he has seen the conversation begin to change.
“Going back to my generation [mental health] was taboo. [In] this generation people are more open about it,” Olivas said. “Especially in Latino culture there’s no such thing as men’s mental health.”
Olivas recalls how his father raised him differently than other parents at the time.
“My dad brought me up differently than what the standard was, [he raised me to believe that] it’s ok to cry, it’s ok to show emotion, it’s ok to have feelings,” Olivas said. “So that’s how I raise my son as well.”
Pham still notices a stigma regarding men’s mental health despite the general idea of mental health being more widespread.
“I think there is a very large, very strong stigma around men’s mental health,” Pham Said. “The way that guys are and guys are supposed to be, they don’t really talk as much about mental health.”
Olivas and other staff members embrace the idea of more open discussions around mental health and try to find ways to help their students through any personal issues they may have.
“We try to make it to where we want people to be happy and feel safe in the space they’re at. [Such as] if sports [are your] disconnect from the pressures of life,” Olivas said. “I always tell my student athletes, ‘leave your problems outside the soccer field, and if you want to pick them up when practice is over you can do so.’”
Reaching for Resources
At school, there are many resources that can help students with their mental health, including Kowalski and Resource Officer Hillman.
Knowing how to get help at school is important for all students to learn, and Kordalski shares ways our district can help.
“The more exposure that we can create for families [so they can] learn more about some of the warning signs,” Kordalski said. “the better off we can be.”
Kordalski reaches out to parents throughout the district to come to ‘Remarkably Resilient’. This event is where an invited agency talks to parents. He mass emails parents beforehand so they can come to this informational meeting so that we as a district can be more educated.
“We’ve invited an agency to come in and talk about the brain science behind mental health and resiliency,” Kordalski said. “[Theywill teach [about] how our brain responds to crisis and stress, and how we can be proactive in taking some steps to kind of slow our brain down and come up with strategies to be effective and to be triggered into that escalated state.”
Officer Hillman, a resource officer, supporter of men’s mental health and a father of two, talks about the school resources and how he uses them to help students.
“If I see somebody that has their head down or maybe crying in the bathroom, then I’ll try to let them know, ‘Hey, it’s ok to cry’” Hillman said. “Then I’ll grab our social worker or somebody else, and talk to them to let them know that there are resources available. It’s okay to be upset and down and sad at times.”
The school has many resources for both students and parents, ranging from counselors to informational meetings for the parents. Reaching out to counselors or other teachers can be a way for students to make the first step in working on their mental health.
Healing Together
Ultimatley it’s important that mental health struggles are addressed. According to SAMHSA, even though reaching out to someone can be scary, it is often the first step to healing and growing.
Similarly, Pham recommends simply reaching out because it can be a big first step to improvement.
“You should reach out to someone if you have mental health struggles,” Pham said. “Just initially anyone, and there’s a lot of people who are very helpful and who are there for everyone. The suicide crisis lifeline, 988, is also a really good one, just because they’re always available.”
“I think therapy is amazing and I think everyone should try therapy at least once in their life,” Pham said. “I think that not only is it a good place to open up feelings but also good to help get you in the right mindset to where you can be independent and work on those things by yourself.”
Even though there are a couple different options to address mental health, Kordalski believes that students should find what works for them.
“I think you just have to find what works for you and although that sounds very simplistic, it’s the practice that makes it hard,” Kordalski said.
