Why Men’s Mental Health Needs More Attention

Jason has been one of my longest clients. He has struggled with anxiety for most of his life, but struggled to find a provider whom he felt comfortable with. “I wanted a male therapist, honestly,” he said during our first meeting, “but I couldn’t find one who understood me or one I felt comfortable being vulnerable with. Many therapists didn’t seem to understand how my anxiety was manifesting, instead telling me I had anger problems.” He shared that many therapists did not seem to understand him.

In the years he spent looking for a therapist, he reports feeling no other choice but to use substances to cope with the negative feelings he dealt with daily. As a result, providers often turned him away, telling him he had a substance use issue rather than a mental health problem. “It was like this cycle of feeling misunderstood,” he shared.

Trauma affects mental health across genders, but is often overlooked in men

There is a strong link between trauma and the development of mental health symptoms. This is true for all genders, including men, highlighting how experiences such as childhood abuse, violence, and other forms of trauma need our attention. Yet this connection often goes unrecognized due to societal pressures around masculinity, leading many men to find other ways to cope with their symptoms, such as avoidance, substance use as a form of self-medicating, or adopting aggressive or withdrawn behaviors, rather than seeking help.^1,2,3

Charles Schaeffer, psychologist and author of When Panic Happens, agrees that the mental health field needs more education to better support men’s issues. Licensed professional therapists are not required to have clinical training in the development of boys and men. “We are sending a strong message to society about professional mental health treatment—males are not welcome,” says Schaeffer. “This isn’t for you.”

Despite awareness, we have a lack of support for male clients in the mental health field

Like Jason said during our first meeting, many male clients struggle to find providers who understand men’s mental health. Instead of being sad or tearful, symptoms often seen in women, Jason’s mental health symptoms have often manifested as anger and aggression, which I find is common for men, largely due to how they are socialized.

Yeshiva University social work professor Nafees Alam, Ph.D., expands on this in a recent post: “Depression, for instance, is frequently associated with sadness, crying, and withdrawal in women—symptoms that align with traditional diagnostic criteria. In men, however, depression can present as irritability, aggression, risk-taking behaviors, or emotional numbness.”⁴

Despite this growing awareness, many men are stigmatized due to a lack of understanding of how their symptoms manifest. Furthermore, the mental health field can sometimes struggle to effectively support male clients, in part because many therapeutic approaches have traditionally been developed with female-centered frameworks. As Alam writes: “While it is tempting to assume that mental health interventions are one-size-fits-all, such assumptions can inadvertently do more harm than good when addressing men’s unique needs.”⁴

Since that first session with Jason, I have heard similar statements from many of my male clients: frustration over a lack of providers who understand and are comfortable working with men’s mental health. And while I do not necessarily specialize in men’s issues, I find that I often have more male clients when compared with my female colleagues. I believe my approach to supporting and building awareness of diverse perspectives has deepened my understanding—not only of my own gaps in knowledge, but also of the importance of continuous learning to support clients of all genders and identities.

Despite our field’s understanding of trauma’s impact on mental health, much of the existing support and therapeutic frameworks remain centered around the experiences and needs of cisgender women. This often leaves cisgender men, as well as many gender-diverse individuals, marginalized in mental health care conversations and services. As a result, many clients like Jason struggle to find competent support.

Building awareness can help keep us from leaving men behind

Building awareness about the impact of trauma on men’s mental health is essential to ensure they are not left behind in conversations about well-being and recovery. By challenging stigmas around masculinity and encouraging open dialogue about mental health across genders, we can create supportive environments where men feel safe to seek help. Increased awareness also helps professionals, families, and communities recognize the signs of trauma and mental health struggles, leading to earlier intervention, better access to care, and hopefully better outcomes for all genders.