Men’s mental health: Conversations to combat the stigma
November 1st, 2021 - Defence Stories
At some point in our lives, everyone is directly or indirectly affected by mental illness, yet negative attitudes or beliefs around mental illness – or stigma - are still prevalent.
For many, this stigma is a barrier to reaching out and asking for help. Men in particular are less likely to seek support compared to women, resulting in what is known as “silent suffering”, and this needs to change.
Join the conversation
Part of combatting this stigma starts with having open and honest conversations. The upcoming webinar, Men’s mental health: Breaking the stigma, is your opportunity to hear our speaker, Jean-François Claude (accessible only on the National Defence network) open up about his lived experience dealing with mental illness.
This webinar is open to all Defence Team members and their families, and is offered on November 9 (English) and November 10 (French).
Learn more and register here to save your spot for the Men’s mental health: Breaking the stigma webinar (you are now leaving Canada.ca, for internal audiences only).
Support for men
When we notice that someone in our lives may be experiencing mental health challenges, we may wonder what to say and how to say it.
Recently, the Movember foundation launched Movember Conversations (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website) to help people find the confidence to have conversations about mental health with the men in their lives who may be struggling. You can find articles, resources, and stories of lived experiences on their website year-round (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website).
Another helpful resource, created by men for men, is BuddyUp (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website), a suicide prevention campaign launched by the Centre for Suicide Prevention. The toolkit (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website) highlights suicide statistics, warning signs, and risk factors, and also insights into how suicide can be prevented in men and what men can do for themselves and each other.
Additional resources to learn about men’s mental health can be accessed through Homewood Health (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website) and Just for You.
Supports and services for Defence Team members and their families
Supports and services for public service employees and CAF personnel, families, and veterans are available to help cope with professional or personal challenges that may impact their health and well-being.
For general questions or to subscribe to our distribution list, please email Organizational Well-Being at OrganizationalWell-Being-Mieux-etreorganisationnel@forces.gc.ca.