James Donaldson on Mental Health - Male Suicide: The Risk All Around Us

Christopher Brown , Staff Writer Content warning: mentions of sexual assault and suicide.

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among Americans, including college students.

Conversations about mental health often center on those visibly struggling, but visibility and risk are not the same.

Stigma and misconceptions around men’s mental health, in particular, prevent many from receiving help.

“Mental health [struggles are] normal,” senior and president of the Men’s Mental Health Club (MMHC) at Villanova, Zander DeLuca, said.

“It’s something that everyone—male and female—goes through, and it is a shame that it’s so stigmatized, specifically in the male community, just based on how men were grown and raised.” Men account for roughly 75 to 80% of suicide deaths per year.

CDC data reports 38,925 male lives lost in 2024 alone.

SAMHSA data further indicate that adults aged 18 to 25 report the highest prevalence of suicidal thoughts, with similar rates among men and women.

In 2019, a study of children and young adults (ages 12 to 29) in the Journal of Adolescent Health focusing on LGBT youth also shed light on suicide among non-LGBT youth.

It emphasized the need for inclusive prevention strategies.