According to surveys, like the one conducted by Priory Group, males everywhere around the world find it difficult to open up about their mental health. This is how it sometimes feels for senior Tristan Endlich who has trouble opening up about his internal issues. He occasionally sits in his room wanting to talk to someone about how he is feeling but he feels that he will be judged.  

Males, like junior Tristan Endlich, think that when it comes to their mental health, they are just told to “man up” whenever they want to open up about their feelings. 

“I just feel that my feelings aren’t really considered, and not taken seriously. I’m worried about being made fun of for expressing how I feel,” Tristan said. “I feel that we should be free of judgment whenever we open up.” 

According to Mental Health America, a nonprofit organization, data suggesting that more than 6 million men in the U.S. experience symptoms of depression each year, and more than 3 million experience an anxiety disorder. 

“Most of the time I don’t think my feelings are taken seriously. It’s mostly “we feel bad for you”, but they don’t do anything about it,” senior Donovan Jones said. “For the most part I kind of push it deep down and tell myself ‘You’re fine.’” 

According to a study conducted at the University of British Columbia, in which the male students there were asked about seeking help about their mental health, 541 of these participants responded by saying they would be put off by the idea, and more than a third admitted to holding stigmatized beliefs about mental issues in men. 

“I honestly do believe that idea,” senior Scottie Paige said. “I mean, I am guilty about having these beliefs about men’s mental health myself.” 

Although most men have responded by admitting to the idea that their mental health does not matter to other people, some men have the opposite thoughts like sophomore Xavi Antunez. 

“As a man, I do feel that my feelings are taken into consideration because I have some friends that do really care about me and how I’m doing emotionally. Some days I do struggle with my mental health but every other day, I know that there are people in my life that really do care about it, and I feel happy because of it,” Xavi said.  

But Xavi still thinks that men’s mental health should still be talked about amongst society. 

“But I do feel that modern society can help men’s mental health by making it more socially acceptable for men to go to therapy instead of just holding it in, making it okay for them to express themselves in whatever they want, and tell them to be confident in their own skin,” Xavi said.