The VP of mental health and addiction services at Bluewater Health says this month's Movember campaign really does generate a good conversation around men's health.
The annual worldwide event, involving the growing of November moustaches to raise awareness of men's health issues, began in 2004 -- Sarnia Fire Rescue is one community organization that takes part in the initiative.
Paula Reaume-Zimmer said, like the facial hair, the campaign has grown.
"Certainly as a mother of three, I'm keenly aware of the event when I have to witness our hideous attempts at facial hair," she said. "It creates the interest and raising awareness about men and their health issues. It initially started more as a health-trend that focused on prostate and testicular cancer, but now has included men's suicide."
Reaume-Zimmer said the conversation about men's suicide is a critical piece of men's health.
"Untreated depression leads to suicide, and as this, it's the second leading cause of death among men aged 24 to 50, and the leading cause of death for men aged 40 to 60, so an important conversation, for sure."
Reaume-Zimmer said the Sarnia-Lambton community has a number of mental health resources for men and boys of all ages, including CMHA Lambton Kent, Family Counselling Centre, and additional services at Bluewater Health.
She said while the programs support both men and women, they often have gender-specific groups or programs.
"That's probably especially true in our addictions sector -- we have all female groups and we have all male groups. Another important resource we have to consider is St. Clair Child and Youth resource for boys because most onset of mental health illness begins early in their life."
Reaume-Zimmer said the stigma surrounding mental health is still one of the main reasons that people don't seek help, adding that men are even less inclined to reach out for help.
"Often they report feeling weak when they have to admit experiences of their mental distress, and men often mask mental health conditions, such as depression, what's described as 'acting-out depression' and often that comes in different forms, like hostility, irritability, anger," said Reaume-Zimmer. "So we have to really pay attention to those signs that really may be some critical markers of mental illness."
Reamue-Zimmer said it's important to realize that around 75 per cent of suicides are males.
-With files from Josh Boyce