Mental Illness in Men: Signs, Common Disorders, and Help

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.

Why don’t men receive the diagnoses and care they need to heal from common male mental health disorders? Social norms around gender teach young men that they should be emotionally strong and avoid showing vulnerability or asking for help from others. In addition, men sometimes lack what’s known as mental health literacy—the ability to recognize, identify, and describe their emotions.

Therefore, men who are experiencing mental health problems tend to downplay their symptoms, don’t acknowledge what they’re going through, and are reluctant to seek help. In this article, we look more closely at common mental health issues in men and the mental and physical symptoms of each.

Key Takeaways

• Male mental health statistics show that 1 in every 10 men struggles with anxiety and/or depression, but this is likely an underestimate as men are less likely to report mental illness.
• Many men don’t seek mental healthcare due to stigma, or because they have trouble expressing what they’re feeling, so only about half of those who are struggling get help.
• The most common mental health conditions in men include depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and substance use disorder.
• Gender-response, individualized care can help men to better understand themselves and to create a toolkit of healthy coping strategies for dealing with stress and emotional pain.

Why Don’t Young Men Seek Mental Healthcare?

The Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA) estimates that 1 in every 10 men struggles with anxiety and/or depression. However, men don’t tend to talk openly about their emotional struggles, such as feeling sad, worthless, anxious, or hopeless.

As a result, mental health issues in young men often go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. That means that far more men are suffering than male mental health statistics reflect. And the ADAA estimates that only about half of men with mental health issues seek support.

Why don’t men access mental health services? Here are some of the reasons:

• Fear of looking weak, because society still teaches men they should be tough
• Difficulty recognizing what they are feeling, and misinterpreting depression or anxiety as “normal stress”
• Believing they should be able to handle hard feelings on their own, without professional help
• Reluctance to share their emotions and experiences with a mental health professional

Signs of Depression in Men

• Aggression and violence
• High-risk activities
• Problem substance use, such as binge drinking
• Physical issues, such as chronic headaches or stomachaches
• Feelings of restlessness and difficulty focusing
• Appetite and weight changes
• Fatigue
• Obsessive thinking

If someone is at immediate risk of suicide, call 911 or the local emergency number, or dial 988 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.

Find out about treatment for young adult depression.

Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are one of the most common male mental health disorders. Types of anxiety disorders in men include:

• Panic disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• Social anxiety
• Phobias

While women are about twice as likely to struggle with general anxiety disorder and panic disorder, rates of social anxiety and OCD are roughly equal between men and women. Also, anxiety in men often leads to a higher likelihood of being diagnosed with substance use disorder and ADHD.

• Feelings of worry and stress that seem impossible to control
• A sense of restlessness or being on edge
• Sleep problems—either insomnia or sleeping too much
• A dip in academic or work performance
• Physical symptoms, such as muscle tension, stomachaches, and headaches
• Nausea, sweating, and shaking—particularly associated with social anxiety
• Avoidance—staying away from situations or places that trigger anxiety
• Panic attacks

Find out more about anxiety disorders and treatment in young adults.

Substance Use Disorder

Data from the Monitoring the Future survey shows that, in general, young men are more likely than women to use drugs, including marijuana, hallucinogens, and prescription painkillers, as self-medication for mental health problems. Plus, men are almost two times more likely to binge drink than women, and have consistently higher rates of alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations. Because problematic drinking and other male substance use is seen as socially acceptable for young men, and even considered “masculine,” it’s less frequently recognized as a symptom of a male mental health condition.  

These attitudes put young males at higher risk for substance abuse, including becoming dependent on multiple substances, according to a study conducted by Johns Hopkins University, the University of Minnesota, and the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Consequently, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) statistics show that substance use disorder is among the most common male mental health disorders, with more men in treatment than women. 

Signs of a Substance Use Problem in Men

• Difficulty functioning at work or in school
• Trouble sleeping
• Changes in weight, either extreme loss or gain
• Legal problems as a result of drug use
• Risky behavior, such as driving or unsafe sex, and you mix alcohol with prescription drugs.
• Trying to hide drug or alcohol use from other people

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD is another of the most common mental health issues in men. Moreover, PTSD isn’t just something military veterans suffer from. Approximately 60 percent of men experience at least one trauma in their lives, typically related to accidents, physical assault, combat, or witnessing death or injury. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, more than two-thirds of adolescents have experienced a traumatic event, and those experiences can have long-term effects on young adult mental health. 

In the weeks, months, and even years following an experience of trauma, young men can experience PTSD symptoms that interfere with their daily life and functioning. And while PTSD diagnoses are again more common in women than men, experts suspect that this may also be because of men’s conditioning to suffer in silence, or to disregard physical or behavioral issues that may be symptoms of PTSD or another common male mental health disorder.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

• Flashbacks to the traumatic event
• Panic attacks
• Confusion, lack of focus, and difficulty making decisions
• Nightmares, insomnia, and other sleeping issues
• Irritable or aggressive behavior
• A feeling of emotional numbness
• Edginess, hyper-alertness
• Avoidance of anything that might trigger memories of trauma, including people, places, or situations
• Suicidal thoughts

Learn more about the symptoms and treatment of PTSD in young adults.

Bipolar Disorder in Men

The symptoms of bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depression, include extreme ups and downs in mood and activity levels. Bipolar disorder symptoms in males typically manifest between the ages of 15 and 24, and affects about 3 percent of the US population. Bipolar in young men isn’t as common as other male mental health conditions. But the vast majority of bipolar disorder cases—83 percent—are classified as severe, according to the National Alliance for Mental Illness.

As with other common mental health disorders, bipolar disorder is underdiagnosed in young men. Many of the symptoms of bipolar in men can be written off as “normal” young male behavior. For example, overconfidence and reckless behavior are signs of the manic phase of bipolar, while irritability and social withdrawal are symptoms of the depressive phase. And research shows that men tend to experience less frequent cycling between the phases, making bipolar disorder in males harder to recognize.

Learn more about the symptoms and treatment of bipolar disorder in young adults.

How to Help Men Get the Care They Need for Mental Health Conditions

As we have seen above, young men are struggling, and they are not getting the care they need. Because men often don’t seek help on their own and because their symptoms show up in less obvious ways, male mental health issues are underdiagnosed. That leaves men with common mental health disorders feeling isolated and alone—and ultimately puts them at higher risk of suicide attempts.

What can be done to help men with mental health challenges get support? Loved ones can be on the alert for male mental health symptoms. And be aware that anger, irritability, and even physical violence can be signs of depression or another mental health issue. Talk to your loved one about what they’re experiencing. You might even offer to make an appointment or research mental health services or support groups for them. Sometimes taking that first step feels impossible, but men are willing to try if someone else arranges it for them.

Furthermore, physicians and mental health professionals can continue to educate themselves. Doctors can recommend a mental health screening for male patients who may be at risk or have unexplained physical symptoms. Moreover, it’s essential to avoid misdiagnosing or overlooking men’s mental health problems because signs of mental illness in males look different than they do in other genders.

Treatment for Common Male Mental Health Disorders

At Newport Institute, we help young men heal by guiding them to uncover their true selves and build authentic and trusting relationships with peers. Our gender-specific, individualized approach helps young men to better understand themselves and to create a toolkit of healthy coping strategies for dealing with stress and emotional pain.

Treatment for men’s mental health issues at Newport Institute includes:

• Psychiatric care, including medication management
• Individual therapy to address past trauma and build healthy coping skills
• Group therapy so young men learn they are not alone in facing mental health conditions
• Family therapy to address ruptures in relationships with parents, siblings, and/or romantic partners
• Support with academics and/or life skills, such as building a resume, interviewing for jobs, etc.

Through treatment, young men learn how to navigate the inevitable challenges of life while staying honest, open, and connected with themselves and the people they love. Contact us today to get started on the path to healing.

Frequently Asked Questions