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VESTAL, N.Y. (WBNG) — June is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month.
Although mental health affects men and women, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, men are more likely to die by suicide than women. In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the suicide rate among males was approximately four times higher than the rate among women.
In an article from the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, the societal pressure for men to “man up” and the stigma of men speaking out being a weakness are reasons men don’t reach out for help.
This is something men in the Southern Tier have felt themselves.
“We lack language to speak about our mental health,” Broome County Resident Felix Rwbukwisi said. “Men traditionally are supposed to feel strong all the time.”
Residents said that having a month dedicated to highlighting resources and spreading information is part of making an important change.
“The biggest problem a lot of people probably have is they don’t even know where to start,” Broome County Resident Michael Hockney said. “I think most people figure that women are better at dealing with emotion than men are and men a lot of the time want to keep everything down and pretend its not really happening.”
If you or anyone you know is struggling with mental health, here are Southern Tier mental health resources below:
- Guthrie Center for Mental Health, 184 Court St., Binghamton
- Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program, Binghamton General Hospital
- Mental Health Association of the Southern Tier, 47 Broad Ave. Binghamton
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