Member-only story
Should You Tell Your Girlfriend, Wife, Partner, Family, and Friends that You’re Suffering from Mental Illness?
Andy Behrman knows firsthand that for men, there are few things more taboo than admitting to mental illness.
By Andy Behrman
More than 25% of men suffer from mental illness, although the number may be even higher because so many cases go undiagnosed and therefore unreported. In many cases, men would rather turn to alcohol and street drugs than to admit to suffering from mental illness and seek treatment. Men are also less likely than women to say, “I can’t meet you today, I have an appointment with my psychiatrist.” Men just don’t discuss their diagnoses, therapy or their psych meds openly with their partners, family, and friends, not to mention their colleagues or employers. There’s a tremendous amount of shame associated with mental illness as it conjures up frightening images of weakness.
Admitting to struggling with depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, panic attacks, or less frequently, schizophrenia, is a shameful secret that is killing American men every day. Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States and 90% of men who take their lives are battling mental illness.
