Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

19 June 2025

3-minute read

The stereotype of men being heroes, the strong man image, the notion that men don’t cry and are not beset by mental disorders, has led to men’s mental health being overlooked by society.

According to Ml Muhammed Coovadia, intern counselling psychologist and registered counsellor, stats on the alarming rate of suicide in the country proves otherwise. South Africa is ranked amongst the top countries globally for suicide rates, with a rate of 23.5 per one hundred thousand people, with more than double the number of males as females committing suicide. Males seem to be more successful at suicide due to their greater strength and societal gender expectations of them not being allowed to be emotionally vulnerable.

There are a number of reasons for the rise in mental health conditions among men. Emasculation and identity confusion in the dichotomous world we are living in could be causing the mental health crisis that men are facing. Traditional psychotherapy is not catered towards males because of the saturation of females in this field, and with mental health support therapy being more geared towards women than men, most men are unwilling to seek the help they require for mental health issues.  Many males don’t really want to share or speak about their problems. Additionally, people are subjected to more negative views on men, leading to further identity issues.

The solution? Ml Muhammed says that more research needs to be undertaken to help males, and advocates for inter-sectorial collaboration between religious leaders and those practising more positive practical psychology to address male mental health issues within the Muslim community. Finally, we need to move away from traditional psychotherapy and talk therapy in individual settings to more solution-orientated therapy styles like cognitive behavioural therapy.

“Your spirituality has an impact on your mental health,” Ml Muhammed emphasized. Studies have established that the decline in spirituality leads to an increase in general mental health concerns like depression, anxiety and PTSD, as well as other personality disorders. However, religiosity will not necessarily get rid of more serious biologically based mental conditions like narcissistic personality disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD and autism. Ml Coovadia concluded that people with higher spirituality have better mental health and mental health outcomes.

Listen to the full interview here.