MOVEMBER!!!!
MOVEMBER happens in the month of November, when brave and selfless men around the world grow a moustache, and women step up to support them, all to raise awareness and funds for men’s health - specifically prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide prevention.
The goal of Movember is to “change the face of men’s health.” By encouraging men and women to get involved, Movember aims to increase early cancer detection, diagnosis, and effective treatments, and ultimately reduce the number of preventable deaths.
It all started in Australia 1999, where a group of male friends decided that growing facial hair (moustache, beard, goatee or whatever) for an entire month would be an effective way to support men’s issues. The idea quickly grew to impact a group of 80 men dedicated to raising awareness for men’s health issues and spreading this around the world. In keeping with the theme of “moustaches”, the month was named “Movember”. While it started out just focusing on raising awareness for prostate cancer and depression, it would soon grow to include all men’s health issues. And each year, the promotions have gotten more popular and larger.
The state of men’s health is in a crisis. Simply put, men are dying too young. On average, across the world, men die 6 years earlier than women. Moreover, studies have shown that suicide affects men more than women: three quarters of suicides are committed by men. The World Health Organisation estimates that 510,000 men die from suicide globally each year. That’s one man taking his own life every minute.
Men, regardless of age group, often don’t recognise when they’re experiencing a mental health issue and may not be comfortable asking for help. Untreated mental health conditions can lead to high-risk behaviours including substance abuse, gambling, and other forms of addiction. Unheeded emotional problems can also cripple a man’s ability to fully function in society and within his family.
The whole point of the month of Movember will be missed if facial hair is grown but men’s health issues are not discussed. Because it’s all about starting the conversation regarding men’s health issues, Movember is a reminder that a man’s life span is 6 years less than a woman’s, on average and that must change. You don’t have to be a man in order to help a cause that originated for men specifically, men’s health issues affect everyone in their lives.
If you’re wondering how you can support the men in your life this Movember, here are a few tips:
• Educate yourself on men’s health. • Educate others on men’s health. • Walk/jog/run 60km’s for the 60 men
lost to suicide every hour.
• Donate or raise funds for
organisations that help men.
So, in Movember, let that beard and moustache grow wild all month long to raise awareness for men’s health issues! Movember is a great movement that has accomplished incredible things in the area of men’s health awareness and, ladies, support your husbands, boyfriends, brothers, fathers, uncles and sons. Getting to know the causes of health issues is the first step in finding a way to help men live longer. Be sure to use this as an opportunity to encourage the men in your life and community to get a medical check-up, as well as living clean with diet and exercise, to help them get and stay healthy!
BOSASNET offers counselling services to people experiencing problems with substance use, depression, anxiety, stress, anger management and adjustment issues. If you think that you might have a problem mentioned above, or if you have a friend or family member who does, we encourage you to seek help. For some, it can mean the difference between life and death. You can find BOSASNET on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok or call us on 3959119 or 72659891 for more information.