Shame, blame, and systemic chains: The binds of men’s mental health
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Authors
Lau, Jonathan
Issue Date
2025-10-22
Type
Capstone
Language
Keywords
men's mental health , masculinity , intersectionality , systemic , stigma
Alternative Title
Abstract
Men’s mental health persists as a underrecognized health issue, as global suicide rates often exceeding those of women. This disparity raises critical questions about the circumstances that affect help-seeking behaviours and accessing mental health services amongst men. Existing research and discourse frequently individualize responsibility while overlooking systemic anchors such as socialization, institutional bias, and broader cultural norms that perpetuates shame and blame. These dominant narratives, often rooted in patriarchal and neoliberal ideals, construct masculinity around traits such as self-reliance, stoicism, and emotional restriction. In turn, influences both men’s behaviours and society’s responses to their mental health. Stigma, restrictive gender norms, and structural inequalities are reinforced across familial, peer, educational, workplace, and help-providing contexts, where even supportive settings may act as barriers to help-seeking. Gender alone cannot account for these disparities as intersectionality and social determinants of health impact one’s capacity to access support. Recommendations are offered at individual, community and systemic levels, emphasizing reflective, gender-sensitive and transformative approaches. Counsellors, school programs, and community initiatives can provide gender-informed care while amplifying diverse masculinities and questioning ideals of masculinity. Addressing systemic issues requires systemic change through ongoing advocacy to challenge harmful narratives surrounding masculinity, self-efficiency, and mental wellbeing that stigmatizes men’s emotional expression and vulnerability.
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Citation
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License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
openAccess
openAccess