There’s something we say a lot in our culture. A shrug, a bandaid, a defense mechanism:
“No pasa nada.”
But the truth is: sí pasa.
A lot passes — through our hearts, our heads, our families. We’re just not talking about it.And that silence? It’s become deadly.
Let me hit you with something heavy real quick:
Just in the first half of 2025, an estimated 350,000 to 380,000 people around the world have died by suicide (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation [IHME], 2025). That’s one person every 40 seconds.
Think about that.
Scroll your feed, blink twice — someone, somewhere, couldn’t take the weight anymore.
And here’s what most people don’t realize —About 75% of those people were men (World Health Organization [WHO], 2024). In the U.S., it’s closer to 80% (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2023). In Mexico, 8 out of every 10 suicides are men — most between the ages of 20 and 29 (Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía [INEGI], 2023).
This isn’t just a mental health issue. It’s a generational wound we’ve learned to ignore — especially in cultures like ours (Latino).
We grow up surrounded by pride.
By silence.
By “Te aguantas.”
And let’s be honest — machismo doesn’t leave a lot of room for feelings.
We tell boys not to cry.
We teach men to suck it up.
Then we wonder why they shut down, snap, or disappear. Emotional suppression becomes a habit… and eventually, a prison.
Dr. Brené Brown puts it into words perfectly:
“We teach men to deny vulnerability, and then we wonder why they’re struggling with connection, addiction, and isolation” (Brown, 2015, p. 109).
And that emotional starvation? It shows up in different ways.
Sometimes it’s anger.
Sometimes it’s addiction.
Sometimes it’s silence.
Sometimes it’s a final decision made alone.
Now, suicide doesn’t have a “type.” It shows up in all kinds of people, in all kinds of pain. But data gives us a clearer picture of who’s struggling the most.
Among teenagers, suicide is the #1 cause of death for girls 15–19 worldwide — and it’s right up there for boys too (WHO, 2024).
Among young adults (20–39), it’s a leading killer globally.
Middle-aged men carry the biggest weight — work, family, bills, the pressure to “be the rock.”
And older adults, especially men over 70, often have the highest suicide rates of all — facing isolation, illness, or feeling invisible.
This isn’t just about depression. It’s about chronic disconnection.
Dr. Thomas Joiner’s Interpersonal Theory of Suicide explains this clearly:
Suicidal ideation intensifies when two feelings overlap:
1. Perceived burdensomeness
2. Thwarted belongingness (Joiner, 2005)
Now think about how many men — of any age — live in that overlap, and don’t know how to say it out loud.
They feel like a burden. They feel like they don’t belong. And they don’t know how to ask for help without feeling weak.
So where do we begin?
We start early.
Like, really early, bro.
We teach our kids that emotions are normal. We make space for their meltdowns, their confusion, their big feelings. Not just “Are you okay?” but
“What are you feeling in your body?”
“How can I help you sit with that?”
Dr. Lisa Damour says:
“Mental health is not about feeling good. It’s about having the right strategies to deal with feelings — even hard ones” (Damour, 2023, p. 27).
As a dad, that hits home. I want Olivia to grow up knowing her emotions are valid — and that her dad’s are too. I want her to see me process things out loud, cry when I need to, pray when I’m lost. I want her to know that softness and strength can live in the same body.
Because if we want to rewire the world, we’ve got to start with the next generation.
And I won’t lie — I’ve leaned on my faith through it all. Not because it makes the pain disappear, but because it gives me roots when everything else feels shaky.
Now, I won’t pretend faith solves everything. But I do believe it gives us something psychology sometimes can’t — Purpose in pain.
In my lowest moments, prayer didn’t fix me. But it kept me grounded. It reminded me I was more than my suffering. That I had a role — even when I didn’t feel worthy of one.
Romans 12:2 says:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Holy Bible, New International Version).
That kind of renewal?
It doesn’t come from pretending. It comes from being real — with God, with yourself, with your people.
And since we’re being real…
We gotta talk about the internet too.
Social media is wild.
We scroll through people’s best angles, perfect moments, curated success. And when you’re already feeling low? That can feel like a punch in the gut. Like you’re failing at life while everyone else is thriving.
Dr. Jean Twenge, who studies how tech affects our minds, says:
“Social media isn’t just a mirror — it’s a distorted funhouse mirror that reflects back the worst fears and comparisons of an already vulnerable mind” (Twenge, 2020, p. 84).
It’s not that tech is evil. It’s that we never learned how to use it consciously. And now it feeds our insecurity 24/7.
Constant comparison.
Constant noise.
Constant reminders that we’re not enough.
We’ve gotta unplug.
Not just from our phones — But from the lie that we’re falling behind.
So what can we do?
Check in — not just on your friends, but on yourself.
Talk about mental health like it’s normal. Because it is.
Teach your kids emotional literacy from day one.
Call out machismo — even in your own habits.
Log off when your peace feels threatened.
Share your story. It might save someone else’s.
And if you’re in a dark place right now —If you’ve been hiding behind a smile, just barely getting by —I want you to hear me clearly:
There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re not broken. You’re just carrying more than you were meant to carry alone.
Therapist Nedra Glover Tawwab said it beautifully:
“Healing begins when we stop hiding our pain and start honoring our humanity” (Glover Tawwab, 2022, p. 13).
So to you, reading this —
If you’ve ever felt like disappearing... I see you.
If you’ve ever had to swallow your tears so hard they turned into anger... I feel you.
If you’ve been pushing through each day just to make it to the next... I’m proud of you.
Because the fact that you’re still here — still breathing, still fighting, still opening up your heart even just a little —That means hope’s not dead.
You matter.
Your life matters.
This world needs what only you can bring.
Let’s keep talking.
Let’s keep showing up.
Not for the algorithm.
Not for the trend.
But because you are still worth the fight.
---
Resources (You’re Not Alone)
México: SAPTEL 800-472-7835
USA: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Global: https://www.befrienders.org
Child Mental Health: https://childmind.org
---
References
Brown, B. (2015). Daring greatly: How the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent, and lead. Avery.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Suicide data and statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide
Damour, L. (2023). The emotional lives of teenagers: Raising connected, capable, and compassionate adolescents. Ballantine Books.
Glover Tawwab, N. (2022). Drama free: A guide to managing unhealthy family relationships. TarcherPerigee.
Holy Bible, New International Version. (n.d.). Romans 12:2.
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. (2025). Global burden of disease study 2025. https://www.healthdata.org
Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía. (2023). Defunciones por suicidio 2022. https://www.inegi.org.mx
Joiner, T. (2005). Why people die by suicide. Harvard University Press.
Twenge, J. M. (2020). iGen: Why today's super-connected kids are growing up less rebellious, more tolerant, less happy – and completely unprepared for adulthood. Atria Books.
World Health Organization. (2024). Suicide worldwide in 2023: Global health estimates. https://www.who.int