12 Stress and Anxiety
John Williams
Stress and anxiety is the number one mental health disorder for men in America (Infographic: Mental health for men). Anxiety disorder is defined as persistent anxiety that does not go away and interrupts daily life (Anxiety Disorders). Approximately 19.1 million American men ages 18-54 have some sort of anxiety disorder (Infographic: Mental health for men). As of recent, mental health awareness has exploded and has become a point of emphasis as societal opinions on the topic has shifted from intolerance to support. However, many men still find themselves unable to speak on the matter. Evidence shows that 77% of men have experienced negative mental health symptoms, but 40% of men have not spoken about their issues (40% of men won’t talk to anyone about their mental health). Ranked at the number one mental disorder in terms of prevalence, anxiety disorder causes the most issues for men in terms of their mental health. From a Public Health point of view, anxiety disorder is highly treatable (Bandelow et al., 2017). Therefore, finding solutions to increase the treatment rate is key to eliminating this disorder. However, in the United Kingdom, a cross-sectional survey found that it would require suicidal thoughts or self-harm to get them to see a mental health professional (40% of men won’t talk to anyone about their mental health). The resistance to medical treatment for mental health is created through social stigmas and norms that have been cultivated through the decades. In this past century, much has changed about how men interact with the world around them. However, the social norms surrounding their interaction have remained mostly unchanged. This can be seen clearly in the social norms surrounding men’s utilization of mental healthcare. Masculine social norms encompass the filling a specific role in the social unit such as the masculine provider mentality. This is a common trait exhibited by American males that often puts males as the sole provider for a family unit (Brown, 2021). This role puts large pressures on the male to provide, creating stress and anxiety among males financially. This means masculine roles contribute to increasing anxiety and stress among men.
“Anxiety” by Nick Youngson is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
How Do These Factors Work?
Financial Stability
Financial instability and discomfort are areas often identified as a major trigger for men and anxiety disorders. Financial instability can be the precursor to mental and physical health problems such as the previously mentioned anxiety, stress, hypertension, and heart disease (Pogosova et al., 2021). However, financial instability just acts as a powerful stressor for men, and over time this stress creates anxiety and then anxiety disorders in men when they are financially unstable (Sareen, 2011). Therefore, we can connect men’s financial instability to bad health outcomes through anxiety disorders by further identifying how anxiety links to