As the calendar turns to June, it is now MenB次元官网网址檚 Mental Health Awareness Month, an area thatB次元官网网址檚 often overlooked.

Men are over-represented in all of these statistics around being unhoused, drug abuse, alcohol abuse and suicide, said Carol Bilson, director of operations at the Anti-Violence Project.

In 2022, of the more than 227 British Columbians who died of suicide, 184 were men. Additionally, there were 2,511 toxic drug deaths in 2023, and 71 per cent of those were men, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control.

While the feminist movement did wonders for feminism and what it meant to be a woman, said Bilson, a similar movement within men is needed but has yet to happen.

B次元官网网址淥ur society just hinders menB次元官网网址檚 capacity to connect and relate to others,B次元官网网址� she said.

This can mean having a more challenging time processing trauma, dealing with rejection and becoming violent towards either the person they were interested in or themselves.

B次元官网网址淭he gender expectation that we put on men and masculinity is unnecessary and doubles down the harm.B次元官网网址�

Suicide is the second or third leading cause of death for men aged 19 to 44 and for men aged 15 to 25. Outside of motor vehicle accidents, there is little else killing them, said John Oliffe, research chair in the MenB次元官网网址檚 Health Research Program at UBC.

For many years, weB次元官网网址檝e discussed how traditional ideas of masculinity may have been unhelpful to many men, Oliffe said. Now, thereB次元官网网址檚 a focus on the concept of toxic masculinity and the negative behaviours associated with it.

B次元官网网址淲hen youB次元官网网址檙e young, you especially buy into the norms that guide your identity, your role, and sometimes your values, which can be persuasive for many young guys.B次元官网网址�

Bilson said young men and boys are told to bury most of their emotions and are often left with two feelings B次元官网网址� anger and happiness.

B次元官网网址淲e havenB次元官网网址檛 created a society where itB次元官网网址檚 safe for men to feel. We donB次元官网网址檛 want to be in proximity to men suffering. Two things have to happen. We must get close to menB次元官网网址檚 pain and suffering and understand whatB次元官网网址檚 happening.B次元官网网址�

Bilson previously worked with abuse survivors and was compelled to start helping to heal men after listening to the women she had been counselling.

B次元官网网址淎s someone who supports survivors of violence and someone who works with men, I feel like we cannot separate those two. The health and mental health of men determines the safety of women.B次元官网网址�

Gender expectations, in general, are archaic, but expectations around masculinity have not been needed for a long time, Bilson said.

B次元官网网址淎ll those things left these old notions that only men provide and protect. And thatB次元官网网址檚 all we require of them, to bring home the bacon. We did a disservice to men, genuinely,B次元官网网址� added Bilson.

B次元官网网址淢en are being asked to reimagine masculinity, and I think itB次元官网网址檚 because of societyB次元官网网址檚 ideas of what women were supposed to do, and who was supposed to bring the income and who was supposed to raise children. All of that has been completely flipped on its head.B次元官网网址�

Increasingly, some young men have started turning to B次元官网网址榯oxicB次元官网网址� male influencers.

B次元官网网址淭he masculinity that theyB次元官网网址檙e projecting, first of all, is a familiar masculinity,B次元官网网址� Bilson said.

It doesnB次元官网网址檛 ask people to change, she said.

B次元官网网址淚 always say, the patriarchy sells men fake power. ItB次元官网网址檚 an external power. And itB次元官网网址檚 a fake power structure.B次元官网网址�

More men are needed in caring professions like nursing, therapy and education, said Carl Haynes, MenB次元官网网址檚 Education & Research Coordinator at the Anti-Violence Project.

B次元官网网址淲ith the baby boomers aging out and going into retirement and old age, thereB次元官网网址檚 going to be an increased need for these care professions,B次元官网网址� Haynes said.

An increasing lack of male educators has also worried Haynes, as there is a lack of positive male role models for young men.

B次元官网网址淭his is where you see other men stepping in, through social media and filling the gap,B次元官网网址� Haynes said.

In May, Our Place in Victoria surveyed the unhoused along Pandora Avenue.

B次元官网网址淚t is about 77 per cent,B次元官网网址� said Grant McKenzie, communications director at Our Place. B次元官网网址淯sually, it is about 80 per cent.B次元官网网址�

On the vulnerability index, when it comes to the unhoused, men are less likely to move into supportive housing, with the average age of a male on the street being 55.

When it comes to unhoused youth, about 63 per cent of young people in shelters are male.

The reasons why men and women are unhoused are complex, but generally, men are not running and hiding from abusive spouses. And men might find themselves on the street after a mental health concern or an injury.

There is a lot of shame around being unhoused, even for those who eventually find a house. Many men do not want to share their experiences for fear of being negatively judged, said McKenzie.

B次元官网网址淎dding to the problem, men often go into the bushes like a wounded animal and isolate themselves,B次元官网网址� McKenzie said.

It is up to men to help fix other men. Women have been doing the heavy lifting for too long, according to Bilson and is one of the driving forces behind a popular social media trend where women are choosing to find a metaphorical bear in the forest rather than date a man.

B次元官网网址淚t is a very legitimate concern. Because the struggle might be ongoing and permanent, and to be assaulted, to be sexually assaulted, to be abused, to be humiliated, has long-term lifetime impacts.B次元官网网址�

It will be a one-time experience, and itB次元官网网址檒l probably be done, versus a long time of suffering and trying to recover your self-esteem and sense of self-worth,B次元官网网址� Bilson said.