Background: Youth mental health has become a central topic in public discourse in Finland and globally, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the discussions tend to focus on individual traits, capabilities and psycho-emotional matters, ignoring the impact of societal changes and cultural normativities.

Objective: This paper presents a novel approach to youth mental health by examining the connections between young Finnish men’s mental health, ideals of masculinity and public discourses of mental health. Drawing from critical sociological and feminist theories on gender, power and therapeutic culture, the study explores how young Finnish men (primarily aged 15-29) position themselves in relation to these overlapping influences.

Methods: Data derive from an anonymous online questionnaire (“Young men – How are you?”) targeting young men in Finland, with 910 respondents included in the analysis. The analysis follows a thematic discursive approach: open-ended responses were coded and analysed to identify recurring themes of masculinity ideals and men’s reactions to therapeutic culture in the context of mental health.

Results: The findings illustrate how young Finnish men view ‘traditional’ ideals of masculinity (such as strength, independence, emotional restraint) as still widespread in Finland and restrictive of men’s actions and mental-health practices.
At the same time, respondents expressed critical reactions toward public and therapeutic discourses of mental health, which they judged as overly individualised, narrow in representation, and inadequate in addressing structural and gendered issues.

Conclusions: The study argues that the highly individualised and gendered discourses of mental health, deriving from therapeutic culture and rooted in Finnish cultural and institutional practices, are inadequate for supporting young men’s mental health. Instead, they may create a vicious cycle where efforts to help can limit men’s possibilities to express themselves, talk about mental health and seek support if needed.