June, designated as Males’s Psychological Well being Month, gives a significant alternative to confront a silent epidemic. In India, the place cultural norms usually equate masculinity with stoicism, males’s psychological well being stays shrouded in stigma, under-discussed and under-addressed.
The statistics are sobering: in line with the Nationwide Psychological Well being Survey (2015-16), almost 15% of Indian adults face psychological well being challenges, with males disproportionately affected by points like substance abuse and suicide. Globally, males are thrice extra prone to die by suicide than ladies, as per World Well being Group (WHO) knowledge. But, societal expectations—rooted in phrases like “mard ko dard nahi hota” (males don’t really feel ache)—proceed to stifle conversations about males’s emotional struggles.
The burden of expectations
From boyhood, males are conditioned to embody power, suppress vulnerability, and prioritise provision over self-care. In India, these expectations are amplified by a patriarchal framework that locations males as breadwinners and protectors, usually at the price of their emotional well-being.
Take Arjun*, a 32-year-old IT skilled from Bengaluru, whose story mirrors numerous others. After dropping his job throughout a tech layoff in 2023, Arjun grappled with nervousness and sleeplessness. “I couldn’t inform my household,” he shared in a session. “They relied on me. Admitting I used to be struggling felt like failing as a person.” Arjun’s silence is emblematic of a broader subject: males are taught that emotional expression is weak spot, leaving them to internalise ache.
Financial pressures exacerbate this. India’s speedy urbanisation and aggressive job markets pile stress on males, significantly in metro cities the place monetary stability is equated with self-worth. Social media posts by younger males anonymously venting about burnout abound, with hashtags like #MenToo and #MentalHealthMatters.
But, these digital cries usually don’t translate into real-world assist. Cultural narratives—bolstered by Bollywood’s hyper-masculine heroes—reinforce the concept that males should “robust it out,” whether or not dealing with office stress, relationship breakdowns, or private loss.
The stigma barrier
Stigma is the largest roadblock to males searching for psychological well being assist. In rural areas, the place psychological well being literacy is low, males are sometimes dismissed as “weak” or labeled with derogatory phrases in the event that they specific emotional misery. City India fares little higher; remedy remains to be seen as a luxurious or an indication of failure.
The dearth of accessible psychological well being infrastructure doesn’t assist. India has simply 0.75 psychiatrists per 100,000 folks, as per WHO, and psychological well being providers are concentrated in city centres.
For males in tier-2 cities or rural areas, searching for assist usually means navigating lengthy distances or unaffordable non-public care. Furthermore, psychological well being campaigns in India not often goal males particularly, focusing as a substitute on ladies or kids. This hole leaves males’s points—like office stress, loneliness, or trauma from societal expectations—largely unaddressed.
The suicide disaster
Probably the most alarming consequence of this neglect is the rising male suicide fee. In 2022, the Nationwide Crime Data Bureau reported 1.7 lakh suicides in India, with males accounting for almost 72%. Younger males aged 18-30, grappling with unemployment, tutorial strain, or relationship points, are significantly weak.
Males’s reluctance to hunt assist, compounds this disaster. Not like ladies, who usually tend to open up to associates or household, males usually lack secure areas for emotional expression. Conventional male friendships in India revolve round banter or shared actions, not often delving into private struggles. This isolation drives males towards maladaptive coping mechanisms—alcohol, substance abuse, or aggression.
The WHO notes that males in India are twice as seemingly as ladies to develop alcohol dependence, usually as a response to unaddressed stress.
Pathways to vary
Breaking this cycle calls for a multi-pronged strategy, beginning with dismantling stereotypes. Media performs an important position right here. Latest motion pictures have normalised remedy, however we’d like extra narratives showcasing males embracing vulnerability. Male voices on social media platforms are already difficult norms by sharing tales of remedy or burnout. Campaigns like ‘Movember’, which give attention to males’s well being, might acquire traction in India with localised efforts, encouraging males to share their vulnerabilities, and deal with psychological well being challenges.
Schooling is one other cornerstone. Faculties should combine emotional literacy into curricula, instructing boys that vulnerability is power, not weak spot. Group-level initiatives, like males’s assist teams in villages or workplaces, can create secure areas for dialogue.
Efforts are on within the non-public sector to supply gender-sensitive psychological well being programmes for males. Scaling such efforts requires authorities backing—maybe by way of devoted males’s psychological well being insurance policies or subsidised counselling providers.
Workplaces, too, should step up. Company India’s high-pressure environments usually glorify overwork, significantly for males. Corporations have launched worker wellness programmes, however these must explicitly deal with males’s psychological well being, providing confidential counselling or stress administration workshops.
Normalising psychological well being days—akin to sick depart—might cut back burnout. Lastly, households play a pivotal position. Encouraging open communication, the place males really feel secure discussing fears or failures, can bridge the emotional hole. Ladies, as companions or moms, can problem conventional expectations by validating males’s feelings moderately than dismissing them.
A name to motion
Males’s Psychological Well being Month is greater than a calendar occasion; it’s a name to rethink masculinity in India. By fostering a tradition the place males can specific ache with out disgrace, we not solely save lives but additionally construct stronger communities. This requires collective effort—from policymakers funding psychological well being providers to people difficult stereotypes in every day conversations.
Allow us to try to create a world the place that’s true for each man. The trail ahead isn’t straightforward, however it’s pressing. Allow us to break the silence, one story at a time.
*Title modified to guard privateness
(Dr. Alok Kulkarni is a senior guide and interventional psychiatrist on the Manas Institute of Psychological Well being and Neurosciences, Hubli, Karnataka. alokvkulkarni@gmail.com)
Printed – June 26, 2025 12:30 pm IST
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