CREDIT: DANGUBIC / THINKSTOCK
Movember is a time for men to finally combat the stigma of masculinity, raise money for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and physical inactivity and to spread awareness of mental health.

Movember made mustaches famous with regards to fundraising for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and physical inactivity, but mental health awareness is also part of the popular campaign.

According to their website, the Movember Foundation began funding men’s mental health programs in Australia in 2006. New Zealand was added in 2008 and in 2013 the campaign has expanded to include programs in Canada, US and the UK.

According to the website, poor mental health affects men more than women. In 2011, a total of 3,728 Canadians died by suicides and 75 per cent of these suicides were men. The World Health Organization estimates that 510,000 men die from suicide globally each year.

While higher comfort levels in communicating and asking for help tend to go hand in hand with women facing mental health challenges, men can face more difficulties when it comes to reaching out. In addition to this, there is a strict way to show how men should act and portray themselves in the media also known as the “tough guy” person, or putting on a brave face and being strong and silent. But Movember is all about changing that.

The website includes mental health programs in collaboration with Canadian health partners, whether it be veterans helping other veterans, men fostering mindfulness in the workplace, first-time dads helping each other out, or providing farmers with resources for a “better quality of life”.

Josie Swan-Merrison, a therapeutic recreation specialist at Victoria Hospital’s Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP Program) has noticed that Movember, coupled with Bell’s “Let’s Talk” initiative and the “Let’s Talk Day”, is making facial hair growth a movement that is creating a discourse about men and mental health.

“Originally Movember was about prostate awareness, but now they added mental health, which is good. Usually there’s so much stigma because men tend not to speak about it,” Swan-Merrison said.

Swan-Merrison said that of the groups she runs, more than 80 per cent tend to be males.

“We have tried to teach them about education and stigma, so we run a stigma group. We try to make them feel comfortable and let them share their story. Once they share and people start talking, the comfort level increases,” Swan-Merrison said.

She noticed that men tend to be diagnosed with a mental illness earlier than women, some as young as 15.

Approximately three per cent of the population develops a psychotic illness sometime in their lifetime. Young people are particularly a high risk and considering college is a stressful and unfamiliar experience for students, mental illnesses can develop while in school. Males between the ages of 16 to 25 and females between the ages of 16 to 35 have an increased susceptibility.

Movember’s movement is making mental health resources accessible to those in need and educating everyone on how to reach out for treatment or recognize signs of illness with others.

For more information about Movember’s movement, please visit movember.com. If you would like more information about PEPP, visit pepp.ca. For more information on additional mental health resources, visit mentalhealthcommission.ca/ and cmha.ca