While men really do love themselves some sex, that's hardly the only thing we want. The fulfillment of men goes far deeper than our ability to attract sexual partners. Sadly, what men truly want has been seemingly lost to time, at least for the generality of Western culture. 

Our society has focused more on the well-being and health of women for a long time, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing as looking after women has been part of the natural order since time immemorial, modern society has gotten incredibly confused about the emotional and mental needs of men and how they're often confused with the needs of women. 

This isn't surprising. As a society, we've been treating boys as defective girls for years. Even back when I was a child in elementary school, they began shoving pills down our throats in order to make us act more like the calm and attentive girls in our class and not be the kinetic, action-oriented boys God designed us to be. 

Today, society treats depression in men the same as it treats depression in women. Women feel more fulfilled and happy when they're loved and accepted. They find strength in their relationships and community. These are all great things and are indeed enjoyed by men, but this is not what ultimately brings happiness to men. 

Men find fulfillment in success, respect, and acknowledgment of their work. The ultimate male fantasy is coming home from a hard day's work where good money was made to a nice home and his loving wife who appreciates and respects what he does for her and the family they created together. 

Male depression is out of control in Western society and much of the response from society, including good-natured women who want to help, is to try to tell the man that people love and care about him. This is all well and good, but that's not what the man needs. Don't get me wrong, love and care are definitely appreciated, but it doesn't hold the same kind of value as respect and recognition for his deeds and work. 

Without this respect, love can feel more like pity to a man. 

For anyone wanting to help a depressed man, the real goal isn't necessarily to make him feel loved, it's to make him feel like he's capable and that people have confidence in him. It's to make him feel like he'll be called on to help do the job and that, once accomplished, he'll be recognized and appreciated for his work. He'll feel respected and, more importantly, that he has a purpose. 

Men today struggle with a lack of purpose. They're looked at less and less as providers and, as modern women become more seduced by the false promises of feminism, they're less and less appreciated as well. Seeing men through this lens, it's not hard to understand why male suicide rates are so high in the modern age. 

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among young men according to the CDC, and yet, suicide rates are much higher for men around the age of 75 or older. I don't think it's a coincidence that this is the case since this is around the age men tend to lose the ability to do the work they used to or be of much use to their families in a physical capacity.

There would be a revolution in male suicide rates if society would do a few things. Firstly, stop denigrating men and start embracing their contributions and importance to society. Stop declaring masculinity as "dangerous" or "problematic." 

Moreover, we need to begin encouraging men to do, not to feel. While seeing to mental health is important, mental health is often too focused on and there's a lack of action. Men are not a creature that gets too much out of focusing on feelings and that needs to be understood and accepted by society in general. 

There's a quote from "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis that is, in my opinion, one of the most important in the entire book. A senior devil named Screwtape, who's residing in Hell, is giving advice to his nephew, a junior tempter in the field who is working to keep a man from falling into the safety of Heaven. Screwtape spends time on the importance of his nephew seeing to it that the man he's in charge of never does anything to change his situation. 

"Let him do anything but act!" Screwtape says. 

Society needs to return to promoting men as creatures of action, not of emotion. Then, society needs to praise these actions and show respect to men. Once that happens, you can watch as the suicide epidemic of men begins to fall drastically.