Mental health matters: Looking at psychological well-being with a gender-less lens

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Priya Hiranandani, Vandrevala, Co-Founder, Vandrevala Foundation. The patriarchal nature of our social structure does not only give women a raw deal. It sometimes affects men unfairly too. Mental health issues concerning women have progressed in conversation in recent years. However, the mental health issues in men deserve more attention than what they currently get. The general stereotypes like ‘men are tough’ and are able to withstand more pain and stress can shift the focus away from their psychological well being. Priya Hiranandani, Vandrevala, Co-Founder, Vandrevala Foundation, a non-profit offering free psychological counselling and crisis mediation through a 24x7 available helpline for anyone going through depression, trauma, mood disorders, chronic illness, and relationship conflict, to name a few, along with paid long-term therapy options, talks about why we need to move beyond the men-versus-women debate when it comes to mental health.

“Mental health of men is important for the entire household.Mental health in men is a matter of grave concern. The Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India 2021 reports a 72.5-to-27.5 male-to-female ratio of suicide victims. Over 73,900 more men committed suicides in 2021 than women. The difference is stark across all 18+ age-groups and social status. Only in the age-group of under 18 years do women suicide rates edge past men. The correlation between mental health and suicide is well established in medical literature. Of the suicide risk predictors, mental ill-health is the strongest, with 90% of people who attempt or commit suicide qualify for a mental disorder diagnostic criteria. Men suffer from significantly more mental