Silent struggles: The hidden battles of men’s mental health

Whatever we call them – cowboys, warriors or men – they simply do not cry. To do so would show weakness. And weakness is not allowed by those who are hard-wired to protect (or so they believe).

But, in the dark lonely hours when heartbreak wells up and depression takes over with the realisation that life has got beyond their control, these men still don’t cry. And they don’t talk either (another sign of softness).

They just kill themselves.

Every festive season – the time of year which is a relationship vacuum for some – many opt to end it all. And, increasingly, men are choosing this option.

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This is not to say that women are also not severely affected by depression… it is a reminder that mental health often does not correlate at all with physical well-being and that a smiling exterior may hide a disintegrating interior.

It is not weak to ask for help. It is not an admission of failure. It can be the first step on the way back from the brink.

For those of us not consumed by dark despair, we owe it to our family members and our friends to listen.

Understand – and heed – their calls of desperation, before it is too late.

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