Male Mental Health Onscreen
Mental health is seemingly a continuous topic in contemporary culture: there are awareness campaigns, interviews with celebrities who have had their own experiences with it, and fictional depictions are common.
Engaging with what these depictions say about how we view mental health (and mental illness, a term less often used now) is key. Fiction and media representations do not just create imaginary new scenarios and worlds, but reflect the world we live in, further entrenching attitudes and perspectives.
Male mental health and illness was a particular interest in my research given the consistently high male suicide rates in the UK (and the US, my other area of interest). Men are three times more likely to die by suicide (ONS, 2023) and less likely to seek help for mental health struggles. Whilst there are campaigns to get men talking, there is little in the way of academic discussion of how fictional representations shape, and are shaped by, norms of masculinity and the male experience of mental illness.
Men are not a homogenous mass, and do not all respond in the same way to different emotions and situations. But in fiction, a pattern emerges that reflects a general trend in behaviour: men do not talk about their emotions, do not show them often, and this may be down to an ‘ideal’ of masculinity. Duncan Cowles’ Silent Men was a vital documentary in that it focused not only on mental health but on men’s emotions, which are so frequently neglected in many broader cultural discussions. In many films and tv shows, men’s emotions are kept at arm’s length or simply avoided, adhering to stereotypes of masculinity.
The film explores personal relationships, and how gender norms and expectations can limit what can be said. As Duncan is saying with his film, broadening those limits is crucial.
The campaigns that occur – by organisations like CALM, Men’s Minds Matter, Movember, and ManUp – are only one part of the solution. For some, their experience of and attitudes towards mental health come from fictional representations. When it comes to men onscreen, there is a clear pattern established: men have to have a ‘reason’ to struggle with their mental health, and their emotions are rarely engaged with. If people continue to see these same patterns over and over again, it reinforces the idea that men’s experience is not something to be discussed. In film and television, there’s also a limit on which men are shown struggling. Very often, it is limited by race and age, which doesn’t allow for other experiences to be seen. Presenting or modelling a more positive approach to mental health onscreen can have a strong impact into moving people away from suicidal behaviour, known as the Papageno effect (discussed in guidelines by the Samaritans).
Some recent television series have done well at this: Jack Rooke’s Big Boys on Channel 4 (and subsequently, Netflix) presented a more empathetic approach, and showed a typically ‘masculine’ character, Danny, struggling with his mental health.
In soaps, a recent storyline in Eastenders dealt with the long-term depressive episode and suicide attempts of Phil Mitchell, and in doing so, considered how ideals of masculinity had hampered his ability to talk about his emotions.
Discussing emotions is vital, which is why a film like Silent Men is important. Even if it starts a conversation between just one man and the people around him, this is a positive. The film is not just about ‘raising awareness’, but actively models an approach that men can try.
For now, I am continuing my work on male mental illness in contemporary film and television (the book will be out early 2026). After that, I aim to continue thinking about how mental illness is portrayed onscreen, and how it shapes identity.
Silent Men will screen as part of Flatpack Festival 2025, followed by a Q&A with Dr Christina Wilkins and Duncan Cowles. Book tickets for Silent Men here.