The Stigma in Men’s Mental Health Treatment
Men are often at a higher risk of poor mental health and addiction because of a family history of mental health conditions, social pressure, and social norms. There is a great deal of stigma in men’s mental health treatment that often prevents people from getting the treatment they need, but without it, this can lead to significant health problems and a higher risk of co-occurring addiction and mental health disorders.
Stigma in Men’s Mental Health Treatment
Men often face stigma in mental health treatment. Because of social norms and other stigmas, men can struggle to feel safe and secure opening up about their emotions or even acknowledging when they struggle with poor mental health. Things like pressure at work, issues at home, or mental health conditions can place unnecessary strain on men who don’t seek proper treatment. Finding the right type of support means working with a facility that understands that stigma and offers therapy and activities designed for men.
Expressing Emotions
Stigma in men’s mental health treatment continues to surround the expression of emotions. Social norms and other gender-based stigma can make it difficult for men to seek mental health treatment when they believe that expressing emotions represents some form of weakness.
Men might:
- Dismiss their mental health
- Project
- Channel certain feelings like fear into anger
- Believe that acknowledging poor mental health/emotions equates to losing control or not being “man enough”
- Feeling comfortable when others share emotions
A lifelong issue with emotional expression can make some men feel a complete absence of their emotions or have trouble identifying them.
Getting Help for Emotional Expression
To help improve emotional expression and overcome the stigma of men’s mental health treatment in this regard, the right type of treatment center will teach men how to recognize different feelings based on the physical manifestation of that feeling like:
- Tightness in the chest
- A whirlwind in the stomach
- A headache or jaw ache
- Muscle tension
- Difficulty breathing
Acknowledging Mental Health Needs
Men can struggle to acknowledge their mental health needs because:
- They feel embarrassed about needing help
- They think that they should be able to handle everything on their own
- Traditional masculine roles can prevent them from getting help
- Men can worry that getting treatment means time away from work, which would cause financial strain
Getting Help Acknowledging Mental Health Needs
One of the ways that men can get help acknowledging their mental health needs is to work with a facility that specializes in unique plans that incorporate therapy and activities more conducive to emotional expression for men. This can include physical activities where men can express themselves while engaging in activities like hiking, rock climbing, or camping.
Getting Men’s Mental Health Treatment from Ritual Recovery
At Ritual Recovery, we help overcome stigma in men’s mental health treatment through our dual diagnosis treatment. We specialize in things like:
- Adventure therapy
- Life skills
- Relapse prevention counseling
- Recreation therapy
- Stress management
- Experiential therapy
Understanding the challenges men face in getting mental health treatment, we focus on providing a range of activities like:
- Biking
- Adventure outings
- Escape rooms
- Fishing
- Golfing
- Hiking
- River rafting
- Rock climbing
- Ropes courses
- Ziplining
- Camping
We work hard to utilize physical activities that incorporate a great deal of movement and outdoor locations, owing to the fact that for many men, overcoming the stigma in men’s mental health treatment starts with feeling comfortable in the environment, being able to express emotions outside of traditional office space, surrounded by other people going through similar situations rather than exclusively one-on-one with a therapist.
Overall, the stigma in men’s mental health treatment can prevent men from acknowledging their needs, recognizing their emotions, and getting treatment. At Ritual Recovery, we provide several addiction treatment options with programs that help you overcome poor mental health, learn to manage stress long-term, and avoid relapsing.
Contact our team today to learn more about our outpatient rehab.
