Men: are three times more likely to commit suicide, six million men suffer from depression (with the majority of male depression cases going undiagnosed), and one-in-nine men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer (one-in-forty-one men will die from prostate cancer). Simply put — men need to do a better job of taking care of their health.

This month is considered “No Shave November,” a time when men decide to not shave and bring awareness to men’s mental illnesses issues and diseases: such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer and suicide.

At a young age, men are told “not to show weakness” — “don’t cry,” “be a man” and “provide for your family”; however, men are never told to care for their well-being. Consequently, men never learn the value of caring for themselves, which can lead to do things detrimental to their health — like never sharing their feelings.

According to Hilary Hendel, author of “It’s Not Always Depression” and writer for Timeinc.net, symptoms like anxiety and depression stem from the way men deal with their emotions — which are biological forces that should not be ignored.

According to Hendel when emotions aren’t properly dealt with, stress put on the body can create psychological distress. This can be linked to mental illness and physical problems such as heart disease, intestinal problems, autoimmune diseases and so on.

If you feel depressed, try speaking to someone – a friend, professor or UTSA Counseling –  for help. If you feel sick, don’t hesitate to go see a doctor. Even if you don’t feel sick, still make sure to get a check-up regularly. It could save your life.

Men need to stop allowing societal expectations put their health at risk. Be a man and care about your health.