June is Men’s Mental Health Month. Read more on how to navigate life’s many journeys and find resources for members and their loved ones in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. 

Now that the graduation tassels have been turned to the left and the real summer heat has arrived, it’s also time for men to take a little bit of extra time out of their daily lives to ensure they are doing okay. 

June is Men’s Mental Health Month. According to a study conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 5 adult men experience mental illness. Though physical health is important, mental health is equally important, particularly now as much of the world seems to be experiencing uncertain times. 

Mental illnesses include anxiety, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and more. It’s important to understand that mental illnesses can negatively impact people’s day-to-day lives, therefore it’s important they receive support, resources and treatment, not just from health professionals, but from their family and loved ones as well. 

Deciding to allow mental illnesses to go untreated puts individuals at a higher risk of developing physical illnesses—heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, obesity and more. In the same study conducted by NAMI, it was revealed that, compared with their peers, high school students with depression are two times more likely to drop out. 

So how do we make sure the men in our lives are okay? In some cases, by simply starting a conversation with them. That helps reestablish a genuine connection with them. Questions such as “How are you?” and “How have you been feeling?” are examples of how individuals can start. 

Sometimes men just need someone to listen to their stories. However, it’s important to avoid a common misstep: comparing traumas. Trauma is not a competition, and there is no value in trying to convince others that one person had it worse than another. Furthermore, comparing traumas minimizes a person’s pain by redirecting attention away from them and invalidates that person’s right to heal. 

Starting a conversation and inquiring about how someone is feeling reduces the negative stigma that treating mental illness carries. A conversation can help eliminate the common and incorrect stance of “We don’t talk about that subject in this family.”

This is where the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community continues to lead the way. 

O’odham Action News continues to report on the many SRPMIC Health and Human Services online webinars held in the Community throughout the years that promote healthy living, both physical and mental. 

These webinars, though they may be a few months to a year old, still contain valuable informationon how individuals, including men, can improve their overall mental well-being. Additionally, the SRPMIC webinars frequently feature Indigenous guest speakers, thus providing culturally sensitive and correct treatment to members, something not commonly encountered by other Indigenous people out in the city looking for the same treatment. 

Attending Community webinars, openly discussing what ails them without judgment and checking in on the men in our lives helps create a supportive space for them. This is how we can end the stigma associated with talking about personal mental health. 

Take a moment and check in on the men in your lives. When they tell you they’re doing fine, ask them again, just to make sure they’re truly doing okay. If they open up to you, be sure to listen and not compare your trauma to theirs. Because it may be the first time ever that someone has asked them how they are doing. 

Take care of yourselves and each other.