Jessica A. Johnson

While we have traditionally celebrated Father’s Day in June, this month has also been set aside to highlight awareness of men’s struggles with mental health and depression.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness continues to advocate for breaking the cultural stigma that men have to “tough it out” on their own while wrestling with internal issues. Current statistics show what many mental health professionals are calling a “silent crisis.” Many men do not like to talk about how they are weighed down emotionally, and this suppressed affliction often leads to anxiety, stress and, in the most tragic cases, suicide.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention reports that over 6 million American men battle “depressive symptoms” annually, and men are “almost four times more likely to die by suicide than women.” Women also tend to reach out for help more than men, as many men view going to a therapist as embarrassing.

Depressive symptoms are exacerbated when analyzing how mental stigmatization in African American culture has adversely affected Black men. Many mental health articles on Black males focus on systemic inequalities, discrimination, racism and societal violence, but from reading studies and my own observations growing up in an African American community, I think mental health stigma is the most difficult obstacle Black men who need medical treatment face. When it comes to “the culture,” as is often said in Black communities, being a man has always symbolized physical and psychological resilience for older generations.

In thinking about how Black men in my generation, Gen X, came of age in the ’80s and ’90s, the portrayals of manhood in pop culture were often of hardness, with a stern will not to break or show feelings. I was reminded of this while watching a rerun of “The Wayans Bros.” recently. In this episode titled “Trial and Error,” Marlon sues Shawn after injuring his leg in a fall due to Shawn’s spilled coffee. The comedy was overexaggerated; however, a line from Shawn perfectly sums up how many young Black men in the ’90s felt regarding their masculinity. Shawn says that he “ain’t no punk” when Marlon asks him to express how he feels about their relationship as brothers.

When considering mental health treatment for all men experiencing work and money difficulties, research shows that working-class White men do seek help at higher rates than Black men in the same socioeconomic status, but White men struggling financially also face similar social stigmas as their Black counterparts.

One effective method for addressing Black male depression that is suggested by social work scholar D’quayvion Dwayne Cloud is “religious coping,” where he emphasizes that “incorporating faith-based strategies into mental health interventions can provide a sense of community and support.”

In addition to community support and resources, churches can build up men’s inner strength by delving more deeply into how Christ, as God incarnate in the flesh, “faced all of the same testings we do” and provides “grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:15-16). I’ve always believed that the most harmful stereotype of masculine vigor for all men is, as Dax rapped, that they should not cry. Yet one of the most powerful scriptures in the Bible is the shortest: “Jesus wept,” recorded in John 11:35, before the Lord raises His friend Lazarus from the grave. If Jesus could let out the heaviness of His soul in public, men crying is definitely not a sign of weakness.

The discussion of how to assist men with their mental and emotional well-being will remain an ongoing challenge. Hopefully, this month more men will reach out for professional treatment and seek spiritual healing. They need to know they do not have to suffer in silence.