#NeverAlone campaign for mental health awareness aimed at men who make up 75% of suicides
2025 study finds 64% of men report moderate-to-high levels of stress, up 4% year over year
"Are you doing OK?"
Has any middle-aged man ever asked you that question, if you are also a middle-aged man?
Probably not, but five years after a global pandemic collectively pushed all of us off a ledge and cracked our lives wide open, dudes haven't been able to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
Men accounted for nearly 75 per cent of all suicide deaths in 2022, and men between the ages of 30 and 59 made up half of those deaths, according to Government of Canada statistics.
Listen, it’s not good for young men either when it comes to social isolation, which is a bad starting point for a lifetime of stress and depression. Two out of every three men aged 19 to 29 showed a “significantly higher level of social isolation.”
A 2025 national survey conducted by the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation (CMHF) found that two out of every three men are experiencing moderate to high levels of stress, which is four per cent higher than in 2024.
So what are we doing about it, boys? So far, nothing much.
The research found men are struggling with high levels of stress, anxiety and depression with half of us lacking sufficient social support systems, and most aren’t seeking professional mental health support.
The national survey of 2,000 men, conducted in April 2025 by CMHF and Intensions Consulting, found, in part:
- 64% report moderate-to-high levels of stress – up 4% in one year;
- 23% are at risk of moderate-severe depression – up 4% in one year;
- 50% are at risk of social isolation, associated with higher stress and risk of depression; and
- 67% reported never seeking out a professional mental health service.
“Men’s mental health is declining at an alarming rate, and too many, especially younger men, are facing these struggles on their own,” according to CMHF president Kenton Boston in a CMHF press release. “We want men to know they aren’t alone, that the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation is here for them, and has tools to support them.”
Stigma is still a huge problem for too many men when it comes to talking about their problems.
“These statistics cannot be ignored,” according to Dr. David Kuhl, a men’s health clinician and researcher in separate press release from Intensions Consulting. “Anxiety and depression are affecting certain populations of men significantly more than others. Calling attention to how pervasive mental health challenges are within these populations is the first step towards changing behaviours. Mental health doesn’t belong to the individual, it belongs to families and communities.”
June is Men’s Health Month with a focus on mental health. To coincide with that, CMHF launched a national campaign called #NeverAlone to encourage men to connect and reach out.
As part of it, they launched two PSAs airing in various places throughout the month, and right here:
To find out more visit menshealthfoundation.ca with self-assessments, expert advice, virtual counselling, and men’s stories. The campaign is encouraging people to remind the men in their lives they are listening by posting videos of support on social media using #NeverAlone and tag @menshealthfdn.
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Paul J. Henderson
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