Men's Mental Health Awareness Month aims to stop stigma of seeking professional health
Millions of men suffer from mental health issues each year, yet less than half seek help, highlighting the importance of Men's Mental Health Awareness Month in June.
Despite the prevalence of mental health conditions among men, societal stigma often prevents them from seeking help or admitting to struggles. This stigma contributes to men being four times more likely to die by suicide than women.
Edinboro Lantern Festival raises money for local non-profit
'When you're told constantly to hold it in and not talk about it, you have to hold it together for the family or whatever your situation might be, it can get very tough,' said Denana Ivankovic, Marketing and Communications Specialist at NAMI of Erie County.
Men are generally encouraged to 'tough it out' or 'deal with it,' due to social pressures and gender norms that discourage vulnerability. This often leads to untreated mental health issues, which can result in risky behaviors and mood disturbances.
Denana Ivankovic noted that substance misuse is a common coping mechanism for men struggling with mental health, which can exacerbate their problems instead of addressing the underlying issues.
Symptoms of mental health struggles in men may include becoming more antisocial or angry, experiencing a loss of appetite, and having regular disruptions in sleep. These symptoms, if left unaddressed, can lead to worsening mental health conditions.
Construction continues on Project NePTWNE water research lab at Blasco Library
Ivankovic encourages open conversations about mental health, stating, 'If you think someone might be struggling, just have that conversation and openly ask them if they're doing ok. Also, a common misconception is that you don't want to ask someone if they're thinking about killing themselves. It's actually encouraged to do that just because if they are having that thought, you having that conversation could actually save their life.'
Raising awareness and encouraging open dialogue about men's mental health can help reduce stigma and potentially save lives.
For more information on how NAMI is working to stomp the stigma, click here.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WJET/WFXP. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WJET/WFXP staff before being published.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Resources for Men's Mental Health Awareness Month
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Men's Mental Health Awareness Month aims to stop stigma of seeking professional health
Millions of men suffer from mental health issues each year, yet less than half seek help, highlighting the importance of Men's Mental Health Awareness Month in June. Despite the prevalence of mental health conditions among men, societal stigma often prevents them from seeking help or admitting to struggles. This stigma contributes to men being four times more likely to die by suicide than women. Edinboro Lantern Festival raises money for local non-profit 'When you're told constantly to hold it in and not talk about it, you have to hold it together for the family or whatever your situation might be, it can get very tough,' said Denana Ivankovic, Marketing and Communications Specialist at NAMI of Erie County. Men are generally encouraged to 'tough it out' or 'deal with it,' due to social pressures and gender norms that discourage vulnerability. This often leads to untreated mental health issues, which can result in risky behaviors and mood disturbances. Denana Ivankovic noted that substance misuse is a common coping mechanism for men struggling with mental health, which can exacerbate their problems instead of addressing the underlying issues. Symptoms of mental health struggles in men may include becoming more antisocial or angry, experiencing a loss of appetite, and having regular disruptions in sleep. These symptoms, if left unaddressed, can lead to worsening mental health conditions. Construction continues on Project NePTWNE water research lab at Blasco Library Ivankovic encourages open conversations about mental health, stating, 'If you think someone might be struggling, just have that conversation and openly ask them if they're doing ok. Also, a common misconception is that you don't want to ask someone if they're thinking about killing themselves. It's actually encouraged to do that just because if they are having that thought, you having that conversation could actually save their life.' Raising awareness and encouraging open dialogue about men's mental health can help reduce stigma and potentially save lives. For more information on how NAMI is working to stomp the stigma, click here. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WJET/WFXP. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WJET/WFXP staff before being published. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Schizophrenia is a chronic mental health disorder that affects: emotions the ability to think rationally and clearly the ability to interact with and relate to others The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that research indicates that schizophrenia affects close to 1% of people in the United States. Men typically receive a schizophrenia diagnosis in their late teens to early 20s. Women typically receive a diagnosis in their late 20s to early 30s. Episodes of the illness can come and go, similar to the process of remission. When there's an 'active' period, an individual might experience: Current DSM-5 status Diagnostic changes were made for several disorders in the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR), including schizophrenia. In the past, an individual only had to have one of the symptoms to receive a confirmed diagnosis Now, a person must have at least two of the symptoms. The DSM-5 also removed the subtypes as separate diagnostic categories, based on the presenting symptom. This was found to not be helpful, since many subtypes overlapped with one another and were thought to decrease the diagnostic validity, according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Instead, these subtypes are now specifiers for the overarching diagnosis, to provide more detail for the clinician. Subtypes of schizophrenia Although the subtypes don't exist as separate clinical disorders anymore, they can still be helpful as specifiers and for treatment planning. There are five classical subtypes: paranoid hebephrenic undifferentiated residual catatonic Paranoid schizophrenia In 2013, the APA determined that paranoia was a positive symptom of the disorder. Paranoid schizophrenia was no longer considered a separate condition. However, the subtype description is still used because of how common this symptom is. 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Catatonic schizophrenia Although catatonic schizophrenia had been listed as a subtype in the first Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders first edition (1952) through the DSM-4 (1994), the DSM-5 removed it as a subtype. Catatonia is now considered a specifier. This is because it occurs in a variety of psychiatric and general medical conditions. Catatonic schizophrenia typically presents itself as immobility, but it can also look like: mimicking behavior mutism (inability to speak) a stupor-like condition (reduced responsiveness) Childhood schizophrenia Childhood schizophrenia isn't a subtype but rather an indicator of the time of diagnosis. A diagnosis in children is fairly uncommon. When it does occur, it can be severe. Early onset schizophrenia typically occurs between ages 13 and 18 years. A diagnosis under age 13 years is considered very early onset and is extremely rare. 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