Men’s Mental Health: More Than a Mustache
Date
By Pastor Tommy Luster
MAML, Registered Mental Health Counseling Intern
Every November, Movember uses the mustache to open conversations about men’s health, including mental health and suicide prevention (Movember, n.d.). The symbol may be lighthearted, but the need is not. In the United States, the suicide rate among males in 2024 was nearly four times the rate among females (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2026).
Men do not always look distressed when they are struggling. A man may keep working, caring for his family, serving at church, and meeting responsibilities while privately feeling overwhelmed. Research on what is
sometimes called male-type depression suggests that distress can show up through anger, aggression, emotional suppression, and avoidant coping, including substance use, rather than through obvious sadness alone (O’Gorman et al., 2022). That is why functioning should not be confused with being healthy.
Research also shows that some traditional expectations of masculinity can make help-seeking harder. Pressure to remain self-reliant, emotionally stoic, or unwilling to appear vulnerable can discourage men from reaching out when they need support (Mokhwelepa & Sumbane, 2025). Masculinity is not the problem. Strength, responsibility, leadership, perseverance, and sacrifice can be healthy parts of a man’s identity. The concern begins when strength gets reduced to silence or when endurance becomes ignoring what is
happening internally.
As a counselor and pastor, I view men’s mental health through a Psychopneumasomatic lens. In simple terms, I look at the whole person: mind, spirit, and body. If a man is anxious, angry, depressed, or exhausted, I want to understand more than his symptoms. How is he sleeping? What stress is his body carrying? What relationships have changed? Is there grief, shame, trauma, or unresolved conflict? What does he believe about himself? And, when faith is important to him, what is happening in his relationship
with God?
Sometimes unhealthy thinking needs to be challenged. Sometimes grief needs room to be felt. Sometimes the body is depleted. Sometimes a relationship needs repair. Often, several of these areas are connected.
For men who want Christian faith included in counseling, spiritual beliefs do not have to be separated from psychological care. Research suggests that religiously and spiritually integrated psychotherapy can be beneficial, particularly when faith is personally meaningful to the individual receiving treatment (Bouwhuis-Van Keulen et al., 2024).Scripture gives a helpful picture in 1 Kings 19. Elijah’s distress is met with rest, nourishment, presence, conversation, and renewed direction (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version, 2001/2025, 1 Kings 19). His struggle was not addressed as though only one part of him mattered.
Movember gives us a reason to talk, but awareness means little if nothing changes. Pay attention when anger increases, isolation grows, sleep changes, hope fades, or unhealthy coping starts becoming normal. Tell someone the truth before the pressure becomes a crisis. Seeking counseling is not an admission of weakness. It can be the decision to stop merely surviving and begin addressing what is actually happening.
If you are in immediate danger or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 or go to the nearest emergency department (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2026).
If you recognize yourself in any part of this, you do not have to sort it out alone. At Striving Higher Counseling, I work with men facing anxiety, depression, anger, grief, relationship struggles, spiritual concerns, and the pressure of carrying too much for too long.
Ready to book an appointment? Contact me today.
References
Bouwhuis-Van Keulen, A. J., Koelen, J., Eurelings-Bontekoe, L., Hoekstra- Oomen, C., & Glas, G. (2024). The evaluation of religious and spirituality- based therapy compared to standard treatment in mental health care: A multi-level meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Psychotherapy Research, 34(3), 339–352. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2023.2241626
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2026, May 20). Suicide data and statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/data/index.html
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. (2025). Crossway. https://www.esv.org/ (Original work published 2001)
Mokhwelepa, L. W., & Sumbane, G. O. (2025). Men’s mental health matters: The impact of traditional masculinity norms on men’s willingness to seek mental health support; A systematic review of literature. American Journal of Men’s Health, 19(3), Article
15579883251321670. https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883251321670
Movember. (n.d.). Changing the face of men’s health. Retrieved September 5,
2026, from https://movember.com/about-us
O’Gorman, K. M., Wilson, M. J., Seidler, Z. E., English, D., Zajac, I. T., Fisher, K. S., & Rice, S. M. (2022). Male-type depression mediates the relationship between avoidant coping and suicidal ideation in men. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(17), Article
10874. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710874
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2026, February 5). 988 fact sheet. https://www.samhsa.gov/resource/988/988-fact-sheet