Men My Age Are Disappearing in Plain Sight
We talk about teen mental health. We never talk about the men quietly falling apart in the middle of their lives.
We talk about teen mental health constantly. We talk about the elderly too. But there is another group nobody talks about. Men in their thirties, forties, and fifties. Men who look fine in public and fall apart alone.
It is happening everywhere. Men lose friendships. They lose identity. They lose energy. They lose confidence. Some lose families. Some lose their health. Some lose the ability to say what they are actually feeling because they think nobody wants to hear it.
The pressure is simple. Never show weakness. Never ask for help. Carry everything. Say nothing.
The problem is that this performance eventually becomes a prison. Men stop talking. They stop reaching out. They stop admitting fear or pain. They disappear socially long before they disappear physically.
This is not about pity. It is about honesty. Men are humans. They break. They age. They get scared. They get lonely. They feel shame. They feel regret. And most of the time they carry all of it without telling anyone.
The country talks about every mental health group except the men holding half the weight. It is time to change that.
If we want stronger families, stronger communities, and stronger friendships, we need to let men be real humans again.
This is the beginning of that conversation.
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Bit longer version on Medium
If you enjoyed this, check out this essay on older Americans.