RALEIGH, N.C. — Therapists are addressing mental health issues as June is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month.
Mark Hardy is a licensed clinical mental health counselor in Raleigh who advises men to take their mental health seriously.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, men are four times more likely to die by suicide in 2022 than women.
“They feel lost, they don’t feel connected and they need to at least feel connected. They feel isolated and irrational thoughts come to their mind and they think of suicide as a solution,” Hardy said.
There’s often a stigma attached to men and their mental health, and Hardy says this stigma can make it harder for men to talk about how they’re feeling.
“I don’t think there are many men who haven’t thought about it, but rather it exists because men just do what they’ve seen and what they’ve been modeled. Men are the protectors, and when they see the protectors, they see weakness,” Hardy said.
Hardy recommends therapy.
“Therapy is important. It’s the support that people may not be able to provide for themselves. Silence actually says something,” Hardy explained.
