When provision becomes a prison: Financial pressure and men’s mental health crisis

Kunle killed himself just before Christmas. He was a 35-year-old poultry farmer living in Lagos. He had been living in his parents’ house since he graduated from the university eight years before his death due to the high cost of rent in Lagos. He has been responsible for the family’s finances since he was 21 years old. As the eldest son of five children, he was expected to provide for the family. The financial pressure has been overwhelming for him over the years, and he has been feeling hopeless. He kept postponing marriage until his siblings graduated from university and were financially stable.

He was anticipating relief soon when he heard that his youngest sister at the university had gotten pregnant, and he is now expected to fend for her and the unborn child. While managing this unexpected news, he postponed his planned introduction to his long-term girlfriend’s family. He had a big argument with his girlfriend, only to get to his poultry farm to meet hundreds of dead chickens. Only a few had died the previous day from an infection, and he thought they had protected the others via an expensive treatment by the veterinary doctor. He had been looking forward to making a tidy profit from Christmas sales.

The seemingly hopeless situation overwhelmed him, and he developed severe depression. He ended it all a few days later when his siblings kept calling him for one financial assistance or the other.

Chinonso is a 40-year-old man who has worked as an engineer for 12 years. He has an excellent job, a good salary, and a clear career path. His entire identity is that of a successful engineer who can provide for his family. He took immense pride in his hard work and ability to provide financially, and he felt those who were unemployed or struggling were simply lazy or not as good as he was.

Until his company downsized, and he was retrenched. His entire sense of self and his world came tumbling down. He had an immediate identity crisis and started wondering who he was without his job and ability to provide. During the eight months of being unemployed, he had severe depression and panic attacks. He also started to drink heavily and socially became withdrawn. Even though he eventually got another job, his identity damage remained, and he continues to struggle with a fear of permanent failure.

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Aliyu started using drugs three years ago and is now addicted. It started as a coping mechanism. His colleagues suggested it to boost his productivity at work. Soon, he began to use it even when he was not working, as he realised it took his mind off stress and struggles. Now, the drug he started using to work more so he could make more money for his family is costing him over 50% of his income. He is unable to work as much as he used to, but the cost of drugs keeps increasing, and he has started starving himself to afford the drugs. What sort of man would he be if he could not pay the bills of his family?

Discussion

Research has shown that work-related pressure and financial worries are the top two causes of mental distress in men. In many cases, suicide among men is often precipitated by financial crises. Globally, 75% to 80% of suicide cases are men. Depression rates are higher among unemployed men, and substance abuse is a common coping mechanism for men. There are also increasing levels of aggressiveness and violence due to economic stress. This plays a role in the high percentage of men in prison for different crimes.

Financial stress and pressure often result in feelings of shame and inadequacy, loss of control and helplessness, identity crisis, anxiety, severe depression, and relationship breakdown. It can lead to substance abuse as a coping mechanism, and in severe cases, it can lead to a risk of suicide.

Many men don’t seek help due to the toxic masculinity programming that a man shouldn’t show weakness or ask for help. There are also feelings of shame and stigma associated with mental illness. Ignorance and lack of mental health literacy are other hindering factors. Many men also experience practical barriers to mental health services, like the high cost or inability to get time away from work to visit the hospital.

Intervention to improve men’s financial and mental well-being

● Redefine masculinity from a man’s worth being tied to their ability to provide to a sense of worth that is tied to their humanity FIRST.

● Recognise financial crisis as a mental health crisis and address it as appropriate.

● Provide more economic opportunities and security for men…and women.

● Engaging in financial literacy programs and making prudent financial plans

● Provide immediate mental health support when needed. Asido Foundation’s crisis helpline is available 24/7.

● Normalise help-seeking behavior among men

● Build strong family support and networks