Men’s Mental Health Challenges in the COVID-19 Era
“Will I get it? Will someone I love get it? Will one of us die? When will it end?”
I’m guessing that few people in the world had ever heard about COVID-19 until a few months ago. Now everyone has heard and most of us are scared. We ask ourselves, “Will I get it? Will someone I love get it? Will one of us die? When will it end?”
There really are two pandemics we’re dealing with. First, is the spread of the virus and its impact on our physical health. Second, is the spread of the fear and panic and its impact on our mental health. For me, both of these fears are up close and personal. I’m in the high-risk group for getting the virus, getting sick, and dying:
- I’m older (age 76).
- I’ve had chronic lung problems most of my life.
- I’m a man.
I’m also in the high-risk group for having mental and emotional problems associated with COVID-19.
- I’ve suffered from depression all my life.
- I worry a lot and suffer from anxiety.
- When I get stressed, I get angry, which often pushes away those I need for emotional support.
Let me say at the outset that we can’t separate physical health from mental health. When I’m down with the flu, I’m also often sad and depressed. When I’m dealing with anxiety, anger, and depression, my physical health suffers as well.
In addressing the risks associated with COVID-19, most people are aware that older people and those with other health problems are more likely to become sicker and die if they contract the virus. However, fewer people seem to be aware that being male seems to put us at higher risk.
White House coronavirus coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx recently pointed out this “concerning trend” after looking at statistics in Italy, where footage of hospital intensive care units showed bed after bed of older men breathing with the help of ventilators. “The mortality in males seems to be twice that of females in every age group,” said Dr. Birx.
When Italy recently offered statistics on deaths, they noted that 28% of the…
