Depression Knows No Gender
There is a lot of pressure surrounding men especially in this day and age. They are expected to act in a "macho" manner primarily when it comes to dealing with pain and issues which are deemed as being "non-manly". Matt Haig, a writer for The Guardian recently published an article discussing the reasons why men shouldn't have to "man up" about their problems.
Instead, we need to speak out because it's evident to see that men aren't getting the help that they need. Matt Haig is an avid believer in raising awareness for Mental Health. He recently published "Reasons To Stay Alive" which aims to provide men with the help that they should be receiving in the first place.
Men need to open up about depression, not man up, says @matthaig1 http://t.co/9CAampYURq pic.twitter.com/x8t1j9KCiP
— Telegraph Men (@TelegraphMen) April 14, 2015
Matt has also went on to broadcast audio-visual content where he speaks more in depth about the work that he's created. It's fascinating in the sense that he is speaking out for men all over the world which is a big step to take considering he suffered from Depression 15 years ago and is now involved with the media. However, his honesty hasn't caused an uproar.
In fact, it's had the opposite effect, he's received an abundance of positive feedback from both men and women across Twitter, Facebook and several other popular social media sites who also share the same views and seek to raise awareness.
"Masculinity" plays a massive part in how men are expected to behave. For example, if a man is ill then they're simply told to "man up" but people don't quite take it into consideration how much of an impact their words can have on another individual. There is a lot of negative stigma attached to Mental Health.
It's deemed more acceptable for a woman to speak openly about her problems but when a man speaks out, the tables are turned. Why is that okay? No gender is superior to another. We all have problems. We're not perfect. So, why do we have to shrug our problems off and pretend that we are?
If we have a problem then we should be allowed to freely talk about it as opposed to keeping quiet. It's unhealthy and can lead to an addiction somewhere else down the line.
The moral of the story is that speaking out about what is bothering us shouldn't be restricted to our gender or the body that we are in. Individuals fail to understand that Depression is the one illness where talking relieves symptoms hence why this is a BIG PROBLEM that still needs to be resolved.
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