Prince William: suicide callout shed light on men's mental health

2017-04-18T09:55:30+00:00

Harry and other celebs get to talk about being depressed and having mental health issues because they're ... privileged enough to not carry the stigma of anonymity and disposability most men on the planet are shackled with.... He's a damn prince. You? Me? That guy who sweeps up the train station platforms? He's got mental health issues? "Oh. Um. 'K..."

I posted this article to pose the following question: To what extent does famous men talking about their struggles with mental health help other men feel comfortable talking about their own mental health?

Whilst I am against the culture of celebrity and the way it pervades our new cycles, I do see value in showing that even idealised men (such as sports stars) who are seen as the pinnacle of manliness can suffer from mental health issues.

Hopefully as more people in the public sphere come out in support of charities like Heads Together, talking about mental health will become more normalised.

This is one of those "It works for women, ergo it should work for men" situations, isn't it? Men aren't empowered by victimhood. There's no implicit need or desire in society to rush in and help a man in need - mostly because men are expected to be the ones rushing in. Also, celebrity culture and trends don't work on men. We're less likely to compare ourselves to others, and don't have a need to reflect those who are considered our social betters. We tend to find happiness within ourselves.

Mental health isn't some fashion trend we're following, and as soon as Big Famous Guy says it's cool, we'll follow suit.

Harry and other celebs get to talk about being depressed and having mental health issues because they're valued within society (for some reason...I don't make the rules...) and are worth protecting. They're privileged enough to not carry the stigma of anonymity and disposability most men on the planet are shackled with.

So, yes, by all means can a Prince come forward and lament. Because he's a damn prince. You? Me? That guy who sweeps up the train station platforms? He's got mental health issues?

"Oh. Um. 'K..."

To what extent does famous men talking about their struggles with mental health help other men feel comfortable talking about their own mental health?

Not one bit.

I did open up about my mental health. So brave, right? speaking up, defying so much toxic masculinity you guys, I talked about my problems with many people, I talked until I was blue in the face!

My family sees me as barely human. No friends call anymore. Girlfriend turned into somebody else overnight, then faded away.

I don't keep quiet about my problems because of some stupid ideas about having to be strong and silent, I keep quiet about my problems because nobody will help me. But let's have another article how men's suffering is men's fault because they won't speak up about it, please!

bastiroid · 2017-04-18T08:14:08+00:00

It seems like men's issues are finally getting some more attention. Hope the general population will follow path.

thrway_1000 · 2017-04-18T18:01:12+00:00

https://archive.is/QtSwe

Title	Prince William: suicide callout shed light on men's mental health
Author	bastiroid
Upvotes	64
Comments	5
Date	April 18, 2017 8:12 AM UTC (9 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/661joq/prince_william_suicide_callout_shed_light_on_mens/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/prince-william-suicide-callout-shed-light-on-mens.925421 https://theredarchive.com/post/925421

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