Men’s Mental Health Awareness Day was observed in Canada on Tuesday, June 13 - a day dedicated to raising awareness of how signs and symptoms of mental health conditions may present themselves differently in men, and to normalize conversations about mental health issues to reduce the stigma that often prevents men from seeking help.
First proclaimed in the City of Ottawa in 2014, this awareness day is held annually on the Tuesday leading up to Father’s Day, during International Men’s Health Week.
Quick facts:
- Today, approximately 5 per cent of male youth age 12 to 19 have experienced a major depressive episode (CMHA).
- One in 10 men will struggle with depression in his lifetime (Movember Canada).
- Rates of substance use disorder are very high in males, 6.4 per cent compared to 2.5 per cent of females (StatCan).
- Men die by suicide at a rate four times higher than that of women (CMHA).
- Men are more likely to develop schizophrenia at a younger age (Mental Health Commission of Canada).
Learn more...
Boy, men and self-harm
Internationally renowned expert on self-injury Dr. Stephen Lewis talks about the unique challenges faced by boys and men who commit self-injury, as well as his own lived experience and how it informs his research.
First Nations men’s and boys’ mental health
Project Scientist in CAMH’s Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, and the Mental Health, Addiction and Violence Support Program Manager at the Health Services Department in her home community shares her research into First Nations men’s and boys’ mental health:
- “It is easier to have healing when you are not so alone”
- Changing the Face of Boys and Men’s Mental Health in First Nations Communities