I read “Masculinity as a Cultural Concept” by Mary Hurd, and I learned about the role that masculinity plays in society. Starting way back in the Victorian Era is where masculinity had originally emerged. As we get closer to modern day in age, like in the United States, masculinity was portrayed as having self-restraint, proving your vitality and manhood. During this time, the Boy Scouts organization began to “remove boys from female influences and ‘teach them how to be a man’.” The end of the article states how men become more open to homosexual men and how masculinity places a low priority on maintaining health. The men’s suicide rate is mentioned, and how scholars can expand what it means to be a man in different communities."

I read the article, “Looking Back: Masculinity and Mental Health - The Long View” by Ali Hagget. She wrote about the history of masculinity and men’s mental health: Hagget wrote about how there is little research on the ways men have coped with their personal issues. She even mentioned the suicide rate among men. “During the Georgian period (1714-1830), being manly meant being virtuous and wise. Male emotionality, therefore, crossed no inappropriate boundaries nor brought undue negative attention.” Men were most comfortable looking inside themselves and reflecting on their own personal experiences. After the Industrial Revolution in Britain, men began to hold the traditional roles that are common today. Another factor that reinforced these developments was religion. Christian men were supposed to be good fathers and husbands, and self-expression was dismissed."

“Men’s Mental Health” published in Salem Press Encyclopedia, it was about men’s mental health. Mental health ties into health issues like depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, sexual health issues, and even antisocial personality. Most men don’t seek professional help on their own. Instead, they are referred for treatment in response to excessive alcohol consumption or driving under the influence. “Men typically eschew therapy because talking about their feelings is viewed as at best weak, and at worst completely non-masculine.” Depression is a big mental health concern for men. Even here in the U.S., women are more likely to report symptoms of depression than men at all ages. “To certain men, therapy is not an option to get help. “To offset the negative help-seeking behavior of men, clinicians are developing a better model; group discussions about health is one viable alternative.”

“Men’s Mental Health: It’s Time for Australia to Shift the System” by Cameron Bayley, this article is about men’s mental health for Australian men. “There’s such a stigma that when you want to reach out that you’re going to be judged,” says Nathan Appo, a Mamu man from Innisfail in Queensland. Australia’s suicide rates are higher because they don’t talk openly about men’s mental health. Dr. Zac Seidler, Movember’s global director of men’s health research, said that “suicide is the second leading cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and these men are 2.6 times more likely to take their own life than non-Indigenous men.” However, it isn’t all bad news for men. “Initiatives have already seen an increase in Indigenous men getting their health checked.”

I read “Breaking Barriers in Black Men’s Mental Health,” by Reshonda Tate, and I learned that young Black men suffer in silence. “Suicide is the third leading cause of death for Black males 15-24.” Black men also don’t seek help with their mental problems. They too deal with societal stigma and historical trauma. One of the leading causes for Black men to refrain from seeking help is a lack of accessibility and a lack of representation. 

“Mental Health Stigma Among Spanish-Speaking Latinos in Baltimore, Maryland.” I found that Latin Americans also deal with stigma, which impacts their view on mental health. Latin Americans have cultural expectations of men that negatively affect their mental health. They believe that men who have mental health issues don’t believe in God, or that it comes as a result of witchcraft or something demonic. Latinos’ mental health has gotten worse after the pandemic, specifically for males.