Men’s Health Month – June 2024

Men’s Health Month – A Contribution from the CaSP Division

“The objective of Men’s Health Month is to heighten awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. This month allows healthcare providers, public policymakers, the media, and individuals to encourage men and boys to seek regular medical advice and prompt treatment for disease and injury. The response has been overwhelming with thousands of awareness activities around the globe.”

Breaking the binds of a broken man- Men and Mental Health
By Christo Muller

I want to preface this article with a story. This is not a story of triumph or even a love story. This story starts with a young boy. Not much after his 10th birthday in fact. He met a wise man who used to be a very powerful warrior. He used to regale the children of his village with heroic stories of battle and facing many monsters that he encountered along the way. All the other children wanted to be like this great man, except this boy. The man was intrigued by this boy as he never marveled at the battles with the sea monsters or the trolls in the mountain but rather he showed interest in why the man chose to face these challenges. One day the boy saw the aged warrior sitting under a tree overlooking the valley. Cautiously the boy approached him, “Sir, do you mind if I join you?” He asked. “Certainly my boy!” He replied enthusiastically, as if his loneliness spoke on his behalf. The boy sat down in silence next to the retired warrior.

After a short while the man asks “Do you want to hear some of my stories? The great battles? The powerful monsters?”. “Yes sir, but I don’t want to hear the stories you tell the other children in the village.” Responded the boy while picking little blades of grass. “No? Which stories do you want to hear?” The man asked surprisingly. “I want to hear the story of why you went on these adventures. Why do you never tell us about the failures or the friends you had? I know all of the stories of what you had done but you never told us what scared you or anything other than what you think we want to see when we think of you.” the boy said in a very kind manner. The old warrior was silent, clearly taken aback by this. “What do you mean boy? My stories are the ones that will carry my name into history and songs, like all the warriors before me. That is the way of the great warriors.” He retorted almost gleefully.

“That is the thing that I do not understand sir, you want to be remembered for all your great deeds and heroic labours to inspire others to be like you, but you don’t want others to know who you were as a person.” The boy countered. “Who I am does not matter as much as what I accomplished to those who seek to be like me, little boy, the person I am may just break down the legacy I am meant to leave behind.” The old man says honestly. “Oh, can I ask you a question? To you, not to the warrior you are meant to be.” The boy says while taking the time away from his meticulous grass picking. The old man nodded. “What is the hardest thing you have ever done?” The boy asked. “Admitting to my fellow warriors that I am scared of facing the monster that we are sent to slay.” The old man said. “What scares you the most?” The boy asked while moving closer to the old man. As a tear ran down his war battered cheek the old man said: “Asking for help”…

The purpose of this story is not to take away from those who seem to have conquered all but rather to share the idea of how society has influenced the stigma of men’s mental health. You never know what those around you may be going through. From the automated responses of “Im fine” to the isolated patterns of emotional acting. The newest war that the world is facing is the mental health war. Traditional masculinity which is supposedly influenced by the Stoic philosophy has created a battlefield the requires the hiding of wounds in fear of appearing weak. The reluctance to seek help, the fear of societal judgement and rejection has resulted in men falling into the abyss of addiction and suicidality.

Treatment of physical illness or injury is not frowned upon as to live a key requirement is to have a healthy body. When it comes to mental illness, so many of today’s men are bound by the painfully heavy bonds of masculinity. Emotions are for the weak. Everyone has issues and this is my burden to carry. Those who love me would rather see me die on the battlefield than see me fall off my horse. If Stoicism has taught us anything, reality needs to be accepted for what it is, not what we wish it to be. Acceptance is not approval but rather acknowledgement of fact.

Ask your male friends how they are doing. Check in on them and be honest with them how you are doing. Don’t fear not being fine. The actions, attitudes and thoughts you hang on to can be of value to you and others or they can be the whip that inflicts pain onto you.

Sometimes the bravest thing anyone can do is ask for help.

Mental Health Help Resources

https://www.groundup.org.za/article/how-accesspublic-mental-health-services

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/ways-southafricans-take-care-of-mental-health/J

Start or join a support group / support group: www.sadag.org.

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Men’s Health Month – A Contribution from the DRM Division
by Mr Omphile Rammopo

Men’s Health Month in June focuses on raising awareness about the health challenges confronting men and advocating for early detection and treatment of diseases. In South Africa, this initiative holds significant relevance due to the distinctive health issues men encounter. These include high rates of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), and the escalating burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension and diabetes, making men’s health a pressing public health concern demanding urgent attention (van Heerden et al., 2017).

A foremost concern in South Africa is the heightened prevalence of HIV/AIDS among men. Men exhibit lower rates of HIV testing and tend to seek healthcare only at advanced disease stages (Sileo  et al., 2018). This delay not only compromises their health outcomes but also elevates the risk of transmission to others, necessitating concerted efforts to promote regular HIV testing and early treatment.

Mental health emerges as another critical area necessitating attention. South African men often grapple with societal expectations to suppress emotions and avoid discussing mental health issues, potentially leading to adverse outcomes such as elevated suicide rates (Rammopo, 2021). Moreover, suppressed emotions may serve as a risk factor for functional neurological disorder, predisposing men to various physical health complications, including hypertension, diabetes, cerebrovascular accidents, and seizures. Facilitating open dialogues about mental health and ensuring accessibility to mental health services are crucial steps in addressing this issue effectively.

Additionally, substance abuse, particularly alcohol consumption, represents a significant concern among South African men (Lawana & Booysen, 2018; Mohale & Mokwena, 2020). This behaviour is associated with diverse health ramifications, including liver disease, cardiovascular complications, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension (Parry et al., 2011), and heightened risks of accidents and violence. Hence, public health campaigns aimed at curtailing alcohol consumption and advocating healthier lifestyles play a pivotal role in mitigating this issue.

Addressing lifestyle factors such as poor dietary habits, sedentary lifestyles, and smoking is also crucial in mitigating men’s health conditions in South Africa and globally. Encouraging regular health check-ups, promoting healthier dietary practices, and advocating for increased physical activity can play a significant role in alleviating the burden of NCDs among men.

Men’s Health Month serves as a poignant reminder of the imperative to address the unique health challenges confronting men in South Africa. Through concerted efforts encompassing awareness-raising, early detection and treatment initiatives, and promotion of healthy behaviours, tangible strides can be made toward enhancing health outcomes and reducing the burden of preventable diseases among men.

Reference List

Lawana, N., & Booysen, F. (2018). Decomposing socioeconomic inequalities in alcohol use by men living in South African urban informal settlements. BMC Public Health, 18, 1-9.

Mohale, D., & Mokwena, K. E. (2020). Substance use amongst high school learners in the south of Johannesburg: Is this the new norm?. South African Family Practice, 62(4), , e1–e6. https://doi.org/10.4102/safp.v62i1.5122

Parry, C. D., Patra, J., & Rehm, J. (2011). Alcohol consumption and non‐communicable diseases: epidemiology and policy implications. Addiction, 106(10), 1718-1724.

Rammopo, O. (2021). Constructions of Depression from Black Men Residing in Mabopane [Master’s thesis, University of Johannesburg]. UJ Content. https://hdl.handle.net/10210/501592

Sileo, K. M., Fielding-Miller, R., Dworkin, S. L., & Fleming, P. J. (2018). What role do masculine norms play in men’s HIV testing in sub-Saharan Africa?: a scoping review. AIDS and Behavior, 22, 2468-2479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-018-2160-z

van Heerden, A., Barnabas, R. V., Norris, S. A., Micklesfield, L. K., van Rooyen, H., & Celum, C. (2017). High prevalence of HIV and non‐communicable disease (NCD) risk factors in rural KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa. African Journal of Reproduction and Gynaecological Endoscopy, 20(2), e25012. https://doi.org/10.1002/jia2.25012.