I’ve seen a lot of posts going around on social media talking about June being Men’s Mental Health Month. I mentioned to my boyfriend yesterday that I find the concept a bit odd. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and certainly men are included in that, too. But, my boyfriend pointed out that prior to our relationship, he was rarely, if ever, asked about his mental well-being by those closest to him. He said that from his perspective, it never seemed like anyone cared about the mental health of men. This information rattled me. I grew up as an only child in a family of psychiatric nurses — mental health and mental illness were always talked about. I check in with my boyfriend on a near daily basis about how his mental health is, but why is this not a societal norm?
Although the patriarchy benefits men tremendously, it also backfires, resulting in men dying due to a lack of mental health awareness. Our patriarchal and binary world is harmful to all genders. While there shouldn’t be a difference between the mental health of men, women, and gender non-conforming people, we treat it differently. So, check in with men.
Aasha is a BA student, working her way slowly and steadily towards graduating with a major in English concentrating in creative writing and a minor in philosophy. When she’s not busy with her studies, she’s hanging out with her dog, Hendrix, and spending as much time outdoors as possible.
