Written by: Louise Mercieca, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The historical depiction of masculine strength has been to ‘Man-Up’ hold it all in, shut it all out, carry it all for everyone, and never show emotions (other than anger, which was deemed acceptable for a male to express, not a female though or she would be called hysterical, but let’s keep the historical representation of females for another day).
The Oxford dictionary definition of Man-Up is this;
Man-up
Be brave or tough enough to deal with a difficult or unpleasant situation.
If you’re a man, you will no doubt, have had this phrase thrown at you in response to a situation where heaven forbid you may have wanted to express emotion. You may even have had this since childhood as sadly many young boys were (perhaps even some still are today) told ‘boys don’t cry’ or ‘don’t be a girl.
We could ask ourselves how we, as a society have come to ever think less of gender because they have feelings? Unfortunately, we have! For decades, centuries even, men have been told to ‘be strong and ‘man up. The historical depiction of emotions has proved detrimental for both genders, women deemed hysterical and men deemed weak should they express emotions but humans have emotions and express them we must for if we don’t our health suffers. So just what damage have we been doing with this small two-word phrase?
Well, let’s take a look at where we are with men’s health. Here are some statistics from the UK.
Men go to the Doctors less than women
On average, men die 3.7 years earlier than women
In the UK today 1 man out of 5 dies before the age of 65
Before I carry on, I must insert here, a trigger warning. The rest of this article will discuss male suicide.
Men are three times more likely to die from suicide than women
Suicide is the biggest cause of death for men, but not just young men there are almost as many deaths from suicide amongst men over the age of 50 as there are for men under 45
75% of deaths from suicide with suicide the biggest cause of male death under 50
Men are less likely to access psychological therapies than women.
Men are nearly three times more likely than women to become alcohol dependent (8.7% of men are alcohol dependent compared to 3.3% of women
73% of adults who ‘go missing’ are men
87% of rough sleepers are men
Men are three times as likely to report frequent drug use than women (4.2% and 1.4% respectively) and more than two-thirds of drug-related deaths occur in men
Men make up 95% of the prison population
72% of male prisoners suffer from two or more mental disorders
Men are nearly 50% more likely than women to be detained and treated compulsorily as psychiatric inpatients
Men commit 86% of violent crimes (and are twice as likely to be victims of violent crime)
Now for the boys
Boys are around three times more likely to receive a permanent or fixed period exclusion than girls
Boys are performing less well than girls at all levels of education
Stats from the Men’s Health Forum
The disparities in male and female health, of course, do not all point to the phrase ‘Man-up’ but the feeling of being unable to suppress any emotion other than anger will have consequences.
According to Psychology Today – anger frequency and intensity do not differ between the sexes. We all get angry but there are differences in the expression of anger.
Men are more likely to express anger outwardly than women
Women suffer greater consequences than men when they express their anger outwardly
Anger needs to come out in one way or another or it builds up and releases itself, sometimes leaving you feeling out of control.
If you are stressed, emotional, carrying a burden but feel contained of course something is going to happen, an angry outburst, a violent act, something out of character, or something that fits a pattern, either way, humans are not designed to contain emotions and it is dangerous when we do.
Physical Health
It’s not just mental health matters that can prevent men from talking. Some physical health symptoms can be deemed embarrassing or ‘not for discussing’. There’s no subject too embarrassing for any Doctor in the world. Having a check-up can spot early warning signs of something potentially serious and save lives.
Men are more likely to die from the following conditions
76% of premature deaths from heart disease
43% more likely to die from cancer
26% more likely to have type 2 diabetes and 68.5% of diabetic amputations
Statistics from the report: Levelling up men’s health: The case for a men’s health strategy
75% of deaths from suicide with suicide the biggest cause of male death under 50
76% of premature deaths from heart disease
43% more likely to die from cancer
63% of premature deaths from COVID-19
26% more likely to have type 2 diabetes and 68.5% of diabetic amputations
66% of alcohol-related deaths
In September 2021, the ONS (Office of National Statistics) reported the first decline in male life expectancy since the 1980s.
Let’s read that again the first decline in male life expectancy since the 1980s.
If we consider all of this and then think that men feel ‘weak’ for talking about health concerns we can see how ‘Man-Up’ is a problem. Visiting a GP could detect conditions that can save lives. No Doctor is embarrassed by health concerns.
Thankfully there are now the beginnings of a change. Giving men the ability to freely express emotions, to stop saying the phrase Man-Up, to allow small boys to cry so they don’t grow up feeling that they can’t. This then enables a generation of men to understand their emotions and be able to share them.
Talking takes strength.
There is always someone there.
Need to talk?
Samaritans 116 123
There for you 24/7
Louise Mercieca
Nutritional Therapist
Louise Mercieca, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Louise Mercieca is a Nutritional Therapist and Founder of The Health Kick, a business-driven to provide understandable, practical nutritional advice, in a world driven by diet culture and convenience eating. Louise is influential in the early-years health sector, making an impact that can shape the next generation’s eating habits. She is the author of ‘How Food Shapes Your Child’ and is hugely passionate about spreading the message that children can make healthy food choices that lay the foundations for their future health. We don't need to walk into the health predictions set for us, we have the ability to change them!
