Some headlines stay etched into my mind long after reading them. Lately, two have been swimming around in my subconscious and, although they seem unrelated, they are not mutually exclusive. The first is the story of a foul smell at a panel-beating factory leading to the discovery of six women’s bodies. The second is a report about increasing male suicide rates in South Africa, writes Zoya Pon in an opinion piece in the Mail & Guardian.
The second is an unfortunate fact. Male suicides are rising in South Africa.
“While women may be diagnosed with depression more than men, men don’t speak about their feelings till it is too late,” said Cassey Chambers, operations director for the South African Suicide, Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag).
The World Health Organisation reported that, in 2019, “13 774 suicides were reported in South Africa. Of these deaths, 10 861 were men.”
Depression in men is not different from that of women but the signs are different. Mentalhealth.org.uk lists the most common symptoms of depression in men as “irritability, sudden anger, increased loss of control, risk-taking and aggression”.
Furthermore, “men may also be more likely to use alcohol and drugs to cope with their depression rather than talking about it”. Add to this the violence men are exposed to in our communities daily and we get a clearer understanding of why the mentality of violence and anger – being the only acceptable emotions among men – are still the norm. This mentality is not only costing men their lives.
Another state of disaster
The shocking story of the discovery of six women’s bodies is a common one of consequence. A lack of systemic and societal change is aching to occur in defence of our women. Women are on the receiving end of the daily displaced anger and powerlessness the men in our country are handed and are massively ill-equipped to manage.
South Africa spent most of 2020 and 2021 under a national State of Disaster to protect people from COVID-19. Between October 2020 and October 2022, about 70 000 people reportedly died from the virus (it is widely believed these figures were under-reported). From October to December 2021, 902 women were murdered, according to crime statistics.
At that same time, 11 315 rape cases were reported. Using this as an average for the year, we can assume that in a year 3 608 women were murdered and 45 260 were raped (also understood to be under-reported). We are living in our own continued national state of disaster from an epidemic of our own. And that is no understatement.
Men’s mental health is a national emergency
We’ve covered the violence men perpetrate against women but what of the violence men are inflicting on each other? In total, 6 083 people were murdered in the first quarter of 2022. With 2.9% of convicted criminals serving time in South African prisons being women, it’s safe to say that most of these murders were committed by men.
Our women, children, and indeed men, are constantly being traumatised by the aggression and violence perpetrated by men. As a result of this constant anguish and grief, we are dealing with high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression as a country.
Increased, targeted government funding and specific public awareness programmes are imperative. NGOs and support groups are the best options we have right now for accessible treatment.
With the stakes as high as they are, many men are taking it upon themselves to start male-only support groups and finding honesty, hope and vulnerability within these structures.
suicide worldwide
World Population Suicide Rates (Open access)
M&G article – South African men’s mental health is a life-and-death issue (Open access)
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
SA homicides 7x global average, with sharp force the major cause of death
Suicide gun deaths up in 31 countries, but overall worldwide drop – Serbian analysis
Fourfold more US soldiers commit suicide than die in combat
Statistics SA: How South Africans die