Men should speak up about health concerns

Men’s health issues are too often an afterthought in the public’s conscience.

The disparity between the ways prostate cancer and breast cancer are treated by society, media and government perfectly represent how differently we view men’s and women’s health issues.

For example, about 40,000 more men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer than women with breast cancer this year in the U.S.

However, breast cancer consistently gathers more media attention, advocacy and awareness.

Additionally, the National Cancer Institute allocates about $2,000 more funding per death for breast cancer research.

It’s hard to miss the pink ribbons for breast cancer displayed everywhere during October, but did you see any blue ribbons for prostate cancer in September?

The problem here isn’t breast cancer receiving too much attention.
It kills more people every year than prostate cancer and, thus, deserves the gravitas it carries.

However, public awareness of these diseases is not even close to being correlated with the number of people killed.

The underlying problem is that men are uncomfortable talking about their health.

Whether it’s a cultural, societal or personal problem for men, asking for help is too often seen as “weak”.

Women are more likely to admit they’ve suffered from a mental illness though no biological correlation between gender and mental illness has been proven.

Men simply don’t feel comfortable admitting to an ailment, and this is negatively affecting the population.

If men are uncomfortable talking about illnesses that specifically affect them, not only will they lack the basic treatment they deserve, but less funding will be allocated to the treatment of these diseases.

The inequity of research devoted to breast cancer and prostate cancer could be explained by men’s unwillingness to draw attention to the cancer.

Thankfully, it’s unlikely any college student will have to confront the cold reality of cancer this early in our lives.

But the societal attitude toward men admitting weakness extends past the realm of health.

I will admit that sometimes I even feel uncomfortable asking for help from a professor or classmate.

This taboo is harming men every day, and it needs to stop. There is nothing weak, backward or morally wrong about asking for help.

— johnfren@indiana.edu
Follow columnist John French on Twitter @JOHN_M_FRENCH.