Written by Michael Smock, LSW

Ending the stigma - What can we do?

In their review of the existing literature on men’s mental health and the stigma associated with it, McKenzie et. al (2022) found several actionable, “de-stigmatizing strategies” that men used to minimize the stigma they felt around their mental health or diagnosis. These included finding peer support, learning more about mental health, and reframing what it means to have a mental illness/diagnosis and asking for help.

Peer Support

Reframing

Also known as “cognitive restructuring”, a concept stemming from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (peep the last blog post!), reframing is the act of critically analyzing a thought that is causing us distress or discomfort, and reframing it in a way that’s more neutral or positive which then elicits more neutral or positive feelings within us.

When we have thoughts such as “I’m weak because I have…(depression/anxiety/trauma reactions)”, “No one will understand me”, or “If I ask for help that means I’m not man enough/strong enough”, we fall deeper into the pit of fear, isolation, and shame. 

By reframing these thoughts, we can start to look at mental health struggles from more of a compassionate lens. For example, let’s take a look at what happens when we reframe each of the thoughts above:

“I’m weak because I have depression/anxiety/trauma reactions” becomes “Even though I have depression/anxiety/etc., that doesn’t mean I’m weak. This just means that I’m human”

“No one will understand me” becomes “I haven’t given people the chance yet to understand me. They probably would if I told them about how I’m feeling”

“If I ask for help that means I’m not man enough/strong enough” becomes “Asking for help is a form of self-respect and is a strength”

If reframing your thoughts is difficult at first, that’s completely normal. It’s tough to do! Something that can help with reframing negative or unhelpful thoughts is asking yourself “What would I say to a friend who was thinking/saying this about themselves?”. This can help us take ourselves out of the equation for a moment to be more objective and compassionate, as it is oftentimes easier to have compassion for someone else than it is for ourselves. 

For many men, recognizing we need help can be challenging, let alone asking for help which can bring up feelings of shame and guilt. Taking steps to educate oneself on mental health and mental illness, finding or creating a peer support system, and reframing unhelpful thoughts are just a few things one can do to help end the stigma of men’s mental health and asking for help. Remember, one step at a time. 

*As with all online and social media activity, please be cautious of the information you share with others on the internet. None of the apps and websites mentioned in this post are endorsed or promoted by Coalta Therapy and Wellness. Please use them with caution and at your own risk. 

Blog Sources:

Chatmon, B.N. (2020). Males and mental health stigma. Am J Mens Health. 14(4). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7444121/ 

McKenzie, S.K., Oliffe, J.L., Black, A., Collings, S. (2022). Men’s experiences of mental illness stigma across the lifespan: A scoping review. American Journal of Men’s Health. 16(1). doi:10.1177/15579883221074789

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/15579883221074789 

Mental Health America (n.d.). Infographic: Mental health for men. https://www.mhanational.org/infographic-mental-health-men 

National Alliance on Mental Health. (n.d.). Mental health conditions. https://www.nami.org/about-mental-illness/mental-health-conditions/

Smith, D.T., Mouzon, D.M., Elliot, M. (2016). Reviewing the assumptions about men’s mental health: An exploration of the gender binary. American Journal of Men’s Health. 12(1):78-89. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988316630953

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