In the silence of the statistics, an overwhelming reality emerges: more than 11 people die every day by suicide in Spain. A total of 4,227 ended their lives in 2022. Never before has such a high number been reached. Three out of four people who commit suicide are men, a pattern that is also repeated throughout Europe, while women attempt it three times more.
Several studies suggest that one of the reasons is that they use more lethal methods to end their lives. But exposing only this reason would be remaining on the surface, since behind each deceased there are multi-causal deaths that are influenced by social, cultural and economic factors.
The sociologist and president of the iS D Foundation, María Jesús Rosado Millán, points out in her study Male suicide: a gender question the direct relationship between the demands that the role of masculinity imposes on men and male suicide. “It has to do directly with gender, understanding gender as that social construction that tells people what is expected of them based on their biological sex,” she details.
Along these same lines, the doctor in sociology and researcher at Fad Juventud, Stribor Kuric, explains that men internalize from childhood what it means to be “a real man” which has to do, on the one hand, with strength, bravery, power and the absence of vulnerability and, on the other, the constant need to demonstrate that virility in the presence of others.
“The construction of masculinity is carried out in contrast to what is neither woman nor femininity. This trend leads to men being more likely to adopt risky behaviors, such as irresponsible driving and the consumption of toxic substances. The combination of these factors, together with exposure to risk and the predominance in the capacity to exercise violence, contributes to the fact that the act of suicide among men tends to be more definitive than that of women.
Sociologist María Jesús Rosado Millán argues that, from childhood, they internalize that violence is not only not condemnable, but is “legitimate” to resolve their concerns and frustrations. So how can they express emotions without resorting to violence? “The most important thing is to become aware. We must recognize that we are not born violent or dominating; It is society that builds us that way. This understanding is essential to begin a process of change and deep reflection.”
The authors of the Fad Masculinity Box study, among whom are Stribor Kuric, demonstrated how among young people psychological problems and suicidal ideations increase in those men who are placed within “the box”, that is, within the set of traditional beliefs and values associated with hegemonic masculinity. At the same time, the study reveals that those men who most align with that masculinity are those who express the least emotions, both positive and negative.
Faced with this difficulty, there are spaces in which some men try to get rid of those attributes associated with traditional masculinity. Josep Maria Lozano is a psychotherapist at Homes Igualitaris, an association that works for equality and promotes change towards alternative masculinities because “men also lose with machismo.” The specialist coordinates groups of men who come voluntarily to be able to talk openly about their emotions, their conflicts and concerns, without any judgment.
Lozano has also been treating patients in private practice for three decades. “At first, only women came. Now we find profiles of younger men, who are pushed by their parents or profiles over 30 who are in a precarious situation and with a feeling of failure due to the current economic context." According to Stribor Kuric, when it comes to asking for help, not only are gender stereotypes present, but also economic limitations that make access to therapy difficult.
Another fact that worries experts is the high suicide rate in the elderly population. In fact, 30% of people who commit suicide are men over 65 years of age, coinciding with retirement age, the increase in risk factors such as illnesses or chronic pain, and unwanted loneliness.
In relation to work, the character of provider of resources has an impact on the male personality, influencing their state of mind when they lose a job or their income decreases. “Many men conceive success through work, influenced by current economic culture. However, this perspective generates a lot of frustration in a context where many live in precarious situations or poverty. By blaming gender policies and feminism, instead of questioning the unequal system in which we live, an imbalance is perpetuated that contributes to unrest,” explains Kuric.
In a context where the prevalence of mental health disorders is increasing, with depression leading as the main cause of disability worldwide according to the WHO, an interesting disparity is revealed. Although it affects women twice as much as men, experts highlight how hegemonic masculinity, which discourages showing weakness or emotional dependence, can lead men to express their psychological discomfort through physical symptoms, aggression or substance use. This may mask lower rates of depression or anxiety among the male population.
In relation to suicide, the WHO recognizes that the vast majority of people who die from this cause have some mental health disorder. The psychologist and president of the Papageno Association, Daniel López, remembers that suicide is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon, and the presence of a mental disorder is not the only cause. “We face life situations that can generate sadness and hopelessness, but do not necessarily lead to any disorder. The problem is that they remain stubborn in making a completely biological model of suicide because it benefits a part of the industry.”
Daniel López points out, on the one hand, the existence of an overdiagnosis of mental health among women that is combined with underprescription among men. “Depression has many faces and some men hide it through social avoidance behaviors, such as alcohol and drug consumption, because they are unable to face their reality. Meanwhile, they tend to use a legal drug, such as psychotropic drugs, to continue with their role as caregivers,” explains Josep Maria Lozano. And López criticizes: "It is worrying that, despite the increase in suicides in Spain, we are the country in the world with the highest consumption of benzodiazepines, but at the same time we have fewer psychologists and psychiatrists than the European average."
