Child Abuse Survivor - Issue #167

Pride is Men's Mental Health Too

Jun 13, 2025

I don’t know if you’ve come across several social media accounts claiming to be mental health advocates, who have taken to the platforms to remind us of how many men die by suicide and why we should be talking about Men’s Mental Health month and not that other colorful thing.

June can be both. June has many things going on as well.

Thank you for reading the Child Abuse and Mental Health Survivors newsletter. Each week, I share new blog posts and other resources that aim to help survivors of childhood abuse and those who are struggling with mental health issues feel less alone as we discuss the issues surrounding our issues.

For more information about me and why this newsletter exists, visit the website, Child Abuse Survivor.

As you can see, June is the month of many things. There are also cultural observances, including Father’s Day, Flag Day, Juneteenth, and International PTSD Awareness Day. There are weeks promoting lightning safety and headaches, and it’s the month for PTSD and trauma awareness, Caribbean American Heritage, and infertility awareness.

I agree that there is mental health stigma for men, and every unnecessary death is tragic. I’m glad you want to talk about men’s mental health. Please continue.

But recognize that any event that represents you as a person, your culture, your history, and your struggles, is part of mental health.

Pride is mental health for gay men. Juneteenth is mental health for many black men. Father’s Day is mental health for many fathers, and on and on. There’s another reminder later in the newsletter about the importance of connection and community. Men die because of a lack of community. We don’t support men’s mental health by telling them that the community they belong to doesn’t matter.

When you suggest that we should ignore Pride in order to get more attention for Men’s Mental Health Month, you don’t sound like a dedicated advocate. You sound like someone who doesn’t care about the LGBTQ community, which includes plenty of men, by the way.

New from the Blogs

The post I'm not supposed to write - how we are silencing victims

People in pain need a community to help them with that pain. I started this blog almost 24 years ago because I wanted people to have one place online where they could know they aren't alone. What an absolute shame it is that we have so many people working so hard to make it harder for us to find each other, and for kids being abused to find information and help.

Sharing - How Safety and Success Intertwine in Childhood

Asking someone to help you, to put them out in any way, is not only bothersome, but it can often lead to violence. The eggshells Kara describes in the article are a visceral memory for me. I also vividly recall all the opportunities I didn't take advantage of growing up, because they might have required me to ask for help from a parent.

Imagine taking that lesson to the workplace, a marriage, or adult friendships.

childabusesurvivornet

A post shared by @childabusesurvivornet

Sharing - Current mental health support systems often fail to meet men's needs.

In the mental health field, I would agree with the experts quoted in the article. We treat mental health and trauma recovery based on the symptoms shown most often by women, because it is most often women who are seeking help. We define the symptoms based on what we see in those women, which are not the symptoms that every woman would have, let alone others. Someone who is abusing a substance, dealing with anger, taking risks, etc., isn't typically what we consider "depressed," but that might be the reality.

Shared from Elsewhere

Speaking of men’s mental health - Breaking the Silence: Addressing the Stigma of Black Men and Mental Health.

A Look At How Financial Wellness Impacts Your Mental Health - As I’ve said many times. You can’t meditate away poverty and financial instability, and those things have an impact on our mental health.

Connection matters - WHO Member States Recognize Social Connection As A Global Health Priority - Health Policy Watch.

Book suggestions from other places:

I can write you a detailed list of self-help steps I take for myself, but that might be what you need. - Build a Self-Care Routine That Actually Works for You.

Trauma At Work

The Real Face of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Friends, we’re doing something different today…

23 days ago · 11 likes · 5 comments · Adina Dinu

It’s not just physical and sexual abuse trauma that does harm - Verbal abuse changes how children’s brains develop, increasing risk of anxiety and depression.

Related to those traumas - Understanding Trauma and What it Really Takes to Heal.

Making a Difference:

From the Archives

Want to Lower LGBTQ Youth Suicide Risks? Just Accept Who They Are

So, here's something you can do that will have a significant effect on the likelihood that an LGBTQ kid in your life will be lost to suicide: just accept them. Just allow them to be who they are and live their life accordingly. That's it.

Want to Save the Children? Listen to the Experts, Who Say the Truth Matters

If you truly want to help protect children from harm, the best thing you could do is provide a safe, stable, and accepting space for the children around you, and fight to lessen poverty, racism, and injustice that create vulnerable children.

Why Our Stories Matter

So please, even if you don't want to share your story yet, you never know who you might help by spreading the word about others who do. It helps to know that we are not alone.

In Order to Learn, We Need to Unlearn

Healing is growth. Growth comes from absorbing new information and knowledge. To do that, there needs to be some room for it to fit in. We're going to need to let go of some of the things we think we know.

Thanks for reading. If you find this newsletter informative and helpful, please share it with others. That’s the best way to express gratitude for my weekly efforts.

Child Abuse Survivor