June is best known as Pride Month — a 30-day celebration of everything that makes the LGBTQ+ community unique — but there’s far more to the month than rainbow flags.
The summer month also contains Juneteenth, which is celebrated on June 19 and commemorates the official end of slavery in the U.S., and, to top it off, June is also often treated as a month to acknowledge and bring awareness to men’s mental health. It’s less official than Pride month, but that doesn’t make it any less important.
When is Men’s Mental Health Awareness month?
The need for better recognition, acknowledgement, and support for men’s mental health has been prevalent for awhile now, but we still fail to properly aid men in need on a daily basis. For generations, the mental health of our men has fallen to the wayside even as shifting gender norms invite them into spaces often occupied by women, and women into spaces traditionally considered “masculine.”
In far too many nations around the globe, not the least of which being the U.S., men continue to feel lost, forgotten, and ignored as their mental health drags them down and they find little empathy or aid among their peers. This is precisely what Men’s Mental Health month seeks to change — but the vital month still remains un-acknowledged in plenty of places around the world.
In the U.S., June is recognized as Men’s Mental Health Awareness month, but its not an annual tradition that’s recognized everywhere. The U.K. does show its support for men through a similar month of awareness, but not in summertime. Instead, Men’s Mental Health Awareness month is shifted to November, just ahead of the holidays.
Regardless of precisely when its celebrated, Men’s Mental Health Awareness month is an absolutely vital period of recognition and support for a community that direly needs it. Men are at far higher risk of suicide, on average, than those who identify as female, and as the world changes around them they need more support than ever.
To show your support for Men’s Mental Health Awareness month, Healthline points to a number of charities that help men in need. A green ribbon is also commonly associated with the movement, so wearing one — particularly through June — will show your support for the movement, and many retailers will donate proceeds from green ribbon purchases to organizations seeking to better mental health support and awareness for men across the nation.