Society. Men's mental health: in November, breaking the silence

A moustache grown throughout November is the rallying sign of Movember, a movement born in Australia in 2003 that has gone global. Originally focused on male cancers, the campaign also highlights men's mental health and suicide prevention.

Striking figures

In France, according to a Drees study published in January 2026, the suicide rate is 21.2 per 100,000 among men, compared with 6.5 among women: about three times higher. Men account for 76% of suicide deaths in the sample studied. The study also shows that the risk is twice as high among people on the lowest incomes.

Another finding: men ask for help less often. According to the Santé publique France Barometer, 39% of men with generalised anxiety disorder received no mental health care during the year, compared with almost 30% of all those affected.

"I'll be fine": the phrase many men keep telling themselves, sometimes for far too long.

Why do men talk less?

There are many reasons. Many men learned as children that they had to "hold on", not complain and sort out their problems alone. Suffering then shows in other ways: irritability, anger, withdrawal, overwork, drinking or risk-taking. These signs are less often recognised as psychological distress, both by those around them and by men themselves.

Times of upheaval are particularly sensitive: separation, job loss, bereavement, retirement, illness. This is often when isolation sets in, without anyone noticing.

Opening the conversation

Movember stresses a simple message: ask a friend "how are you, really?" and take the time to listen to the answer. For yourself, seeing someone is not an admission of weakness. In consultation, a space to talk makes it possible to put words to what weighs on you, without judgement and at your own pace. Many men say afterwards that they wish they had done it sooner.

This article is for information only. It replaces neither a consultation nor a diagnosis, which is a doctor's role.