We need to talk about men: Superheroes & Depression.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. How did two weeks disappear?! I haven’t stuck to my aim of writing every day, which was probably a slightly ambitious goal to stick to in the first place. Instead, I have been surrounded by the people I love becoming ill, both physically and emotionally, and it got me thinking. After a number of conversations about anxiety and depression over the past few weeks, it became apparent that huge numbers of people are struggling with these issues. So I started researching it.

3.9 million people in the UK alone are diagnosed with having Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). This does not include those people who battle with anxiety without a diagnosis. That is six in every one hundred people.

2.2 million people in the UK are diagnosed with depression. 3 in every 100 people. These two figures do not include having anxiety and depression. Nor do they include phobias, OCD, panic disorders, PTSD or any other mental health condition. This figure only accounts for those diagnosed with depression.

5.1 million people in the UK are diagnosed with mixed anxiety and depression. 8 people in every 100. These figures are from 2016 and show that last year, 11.2 million people were diagnosed with either anxiety or depression or a combination of the two. 20% of the UK were struggling so much with anxiety or depression, that they went to the Doctor’s and received a diagnosis for it. A fifth of this country is anxious and/or depressed.

A FIFTH OF THIS COUNTRY IS ANXIOUS AND/OR DEPRESSED. How the living fuck does that even happen?

13.5 million people in the UK have had suicidal thoughts.

4.8 million people self harm.  

4.4 million people have attempted to kill themselves.

5,668 people killed themselves. And three quarters of these were men. This is not a “millennial” thing either, men aged between 40 and 54 were the highest risk group for suicide.  

Women are more likely than men to have mental health problems and are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder than men. Yet three quarters of suicides are male.

We need to talk about mental health. And we need to talk about mental health with men.

Why don’t men get help when they feel depressed or anxious? I asked someone this question and his response was that he was the “hero” and so he couldn’t be ill or have mental health problems, because that’s not what heroes do is it?

Erm, well yeah it is actually.

Batman – Witnessed the death of his parents and then the deaths of pretty much everybody in Gotham. Depression and anxiety.

Captain America – War hero frozen in time and forced to acclimatise to a different time after losing everybody that he loves and going back to war. PTSD and depression.

Daredevil – Mum died, Dad was killed, blinded by chemicals as a kid. Depression.

Deadpool – I’m just gonna leave that one there.

Incredible Hulk – Abused by his alcoholic father. Split personality and repressed emotions.

Iron Man – Perfectionism and inadequacy. Socipathic, egomaniac with an existential crisis.

Professor X – Father died, mother remarried, abused by step-father, lost the people he loved. Depression and anxiety.

Superman – Forced to leave his family and home planet behind to try and fit into a new world in secrecy as an outsider. Depression.

Wolverine – Born with mutant powers and used by the government in special ops and experimented on. PTSD, depression, attachment disorder.

So yeah, heroes do get mental health illnesses and, in the examples above, they learn how to use them to their benefit. Batman retreated from the world and learned all of the skills he would need to achieve his goals. Let’s forget for a second that his primary goal at this point was vengeance… Iron Man distracted himself by creating increasingly brilliant technologies that continued to save the world and improve life for billions of people. Professor X created a safe space for people who needed it the most and surrounded himself with like-minded people.

Having a mental health disorder doesn’t mean you need medicating. It doesn’t mean that you have to have therapy. It doesn’t mean that you have to hide it from the world.

Talk to somebody. Tell somebody that you love, just one person, what is happening because they will support you more than you ever thought possible. That first step to feeling less isolated and knowing that somebody understands what is happening to you, is the hardest step that you will take and it will share the load you are carrying with another person. Then, talk to a professional who can give you some qualified advice.

Don’t ask yourself why. Don’t tell yourself that you have no reason to feel this way. Depression doesn’t follow logic and reason. Acknowledge and accept what is happening in your brain and think of it as a combination of factors which can include faulty mood regulation in the brain, genetic disposition, stressful life events or medical problems. Talk to your trusted person, figure out if there are any trigger points and work to address them. Again, not an easy step but one that could tip the balance of a number of factors in your favour.

Look after yourself. Focus on diet, exercise, quality social time with people that you love, activities that you enjoy. Don’t underestimate how much better these simple things can make you feel. When we feel like shit, the first thing we do is stop looking after ourselves so addressing this could have a positive impact. And however bad it gets, make sure you leave the house at least once every day. Even if it’s to walk fifty metres and turn around.

And most importantly, never forget that superheroes have problems too. In the eyes of the people that love you, you will always be their hero, however ill you are.