This month (June) marks Men’s Health and Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to reflect on a critical yet often overlooked public health issue.

Around the world and here in Sri Lanka, men are severely affected by mental health struggles, with suicide rates among men consistently higher than those among women. According to the World Health Organisation, the suicidal rate in Sri Lanka in 2022 was 27 per 100,000 and five per 100,000 in males and females, respectively.

Despite the gravity of these statistics, men’s mental health remains an under-recognised and under-discussed issue. The societal expectations placed on men, particularly in South Asian cultures like Sri Lanka, compound the problem. Men are often expected to be stoic, emotionally resilient, and financially responsible for their families. They dominate high-risk professions, serve disproportionately in the military and law enforcement, and are often the primary breadwinners. Yet, when they struggle mentally or emotionally, their suffering is frequently dismissed by the society as part and parcel of their societal role.

This gap in recognition has become more pressing in the wake of Sri Lanka’s ongoing economic crisis. As inflation soars and families struggle to make ends meet, the pressure on male breadwinners has only intensified.

One particularly alarming trend is the spate of suicides among law enforcement and defence personnel in Sri Lanka. Over the past few years, there have been several tragic instances where Police officers and military personnel have taken their own lives using service weapons. Each time such a tragedy occurs, it sparks a public debate, but the underlying issues remain unaddressed. Just earlier this month, a Sub Inspector from the Mahiyangana Police Station was reported to have died by suicide. While law enforcement and military personnel have been idolised in Sri Lanka, especially since the end of the internal conflict in 2009, merely holding them in high regard is not enough. These professions involve stress, trauma and long hours, making concrete mental health services for them not just important but essential.

In this context, Sri Lanka urgently needs a national-level programme focused specifically on men’s mental health. Suicide prevention strategies must be gender sensitive and address the unique challenges faced by men. Community outreach, counselling services, and workplace mental health programmes need to be designed to reduce stigma and encourage men to seek help before it is too late.

Another area that requires attention is gender-based violence (GNB) and discrimination against men. While it is undeniable that women make up the majority of victims and in most cases men are the perpetrators, it is misleading to assume that men never experience these issues. Albeit in lower numbers, men too face violence and discrimination – be it emotional, verbal, or physical. However, they often find it more difficult to come forward due to fear of ridicule or social shame. Law enforcement, legal systems, and mental health professionals must be trained to recognise male victims and offer them the same support extended to female survivors. Public awareness campaigns should also emphasise that GBV and discrimination are not a gendered issue but a human one.

Beyond these key concerns, men also face a host of other psychological stressors that are often ignored. Frustration caused by societal expectations, morbid jealousy, canceled culture, physical disabilities in men, and substance abuse are all factors that can render men psychologically vulnerable and are often viewed as taboo subjects in countries like Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, conversations about men tend to focus primarily on the offences that they commit rather than the root causes that may drive them to such acts. If we fail to address these issues proactively, we risk allowing psychological vulnerabilities to escalate into criminal behaviour or self harm. Men’s mental health challenges are often linked to harmful behaviours such as sadism, ragging and cybercrimes. In many cases, emotional suppression and unresolved trauma can lead some men to express distress through dominance, aggression, or online harassment. Ragging, especially in universities, is often perpetuated by male students who are repeating cycles of abuse that they once perhaps endured, revealing deeper psychological issues. Sadistic tendencies may emerge as misguided attempts to regain or assert masculinity in response to feelings of powerlessness. Cybercrimes like online harassment or revenge porn are increasingly associated with emotional frustration, social isolation and a lack of healthy coping mechanisms. Addressing these behaviours requires not only legal action but also early mental health interventions.

It is time for Sri Lanka and the world to move beyond outdated stereotypes and engage in a serious, open, and compassionate dialogue about men’s mental health. Men are not immune to pain and they deserve healing just as much as anyone else. Mental health is not a gendered issue, it is a human issue.