With time on my hands, growing a ridiculous looking moustache for Movember seemed like something fun to do. My son was generous enough to join me. I have participated in the past and am vaguely aware that Movember was started by a couple of Australians 20 years ago as a bit of a lark to see if they could make the moustache popular again. The month-long campaign each November is now active across 23 countries including Canada, and has funded over 1,250 men’s health projects. The charity is focused on raising awareness, programming, and financial support for prostate and testicular cancers, parenting and how to be a better dad, and mental health and suicide prevention.
We live in a time where some may question an initiative designed solely to support men’s health. The facts are that men are less likely to be informed and seek help for health-related issues. Research reveals large gender disparities in health status, with men at higher risk for morbidity and mortality. As with all studies, it is difficult to pinpoint causation, but greater engagement in risky behaviours and decreased use of preventative health care services are higher amongst men. Most societies and cultures still hold traditional beliefs on male gender roles and masculine norms. Men use less preventive health-care services and do not seek immediate treatment for many health problems. Resilience and inner strength are admirable qualities, but not scheduling regular medical check-ups and screenings or denying mental health concerns are neither stoic nor manly, and they can be deadly.
Men are less likely than women to be diagnosed with any of the most common mental health disorders, and those who have received a diagnosis are less likely to seek treatment. Yet nearly four times as many men as women die by suicide. Globally, one man dies by suicide every minute of the day. In Canada, 3 out of 4 suicides (80% in the US) are by men. From 2016 to 2022, over 10,000 people have died from illicit drug toxicity in B.C., and the vast majority (78%) have been men. Movember looks at mental health through a male lens, focusing on prevention, early intervention, and health promotion. While we have come a long way in recent years, hiding anxiety or depressive symptoms are not uncommon. Ongoing mental health education and support are critical to erode the stigma. We all have mental health, and we need to talk about it – and to really listen.
My son is strong and healthy. He is a good man - honest, kind, reliable and lives with integrity and love in his heart. He also works in a complex and demanding profession and grew up in a home with some traditional ideas on what it means to be a good man. It is my hope that he sees his doctor regularly and always feels safe enough and loved enough to talk about and take care of his physical, emotional, and mental health and that he encourages others in his life to do the same.
Moustache or not, a good way to celebrate Movember is by checking in with the people you love, and with yourself.
Cheers. 🍻
