Unveiling the Gaps: Why California Needs to Reassess Men’s Mental Health Care

By Ayo Banjo, Special for CalMatters

Every summer, we hear about Mental Health Awareness Month, but the urgency fades fast. For many, especially those grieving, the impact lingers.

I’m a 26-year-old Black man and lead a youth-focused mental health project in Santa Cruz and Monterey. My journey into this work began when I was just 12, after losing a sibling to suicide.

Back then, I had no words for my feelings—only silence, which remains a heavy burden today. In California, young people aged 10 to 24 make up 21% of our population but account for 57% of emergency room visits due to self-harm. That’s a staggering statistic.

For young men, particularly Black and brown men, the stakes are even higher. We face over-policing and under-protection. Society tells us to be strong but often leaves us vulnerable. We are expected to carry pain without the tools to express it.

Conversations about men’s mental health often go awry, getting twisted to justify violence or dismiss our feelings. Social media tends to amplify anger, flattening our stories. Many role models project a vision of masculinity rooted in dominance, not understanding.

In America, what we call masculinity can sometimes be just unprocessed grief in a fitted cap.

Through my work with young people, I’ve seen transformative moments when they discover the power of emotions. Emotions should be seen as guides, not burdens. They help us reconnect with ourselves.

Real healing goes beyond hashtags. It needs safety, practical tools, and cultural space to pause. In California, we should prioritize teaching emotional literacy in schools over just trauma responses. We must create healing environments that don’t involve law enforcement and focus on deep connections instead of just diagnoses. Emotional safety should be treated as infrastructure.

This is not just about raising awareness. It’s about building a future where every boy feels safe to express grief without fear. Men aren’t broken; we’re ready for a new understanding of strength.

To learn more about mental health initiatives, you can check out reports from trusted sources like the National Institute of Mental Health.

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Commentary,health,Mental Health