I think I know where you're coming from. The stigma of mental illness is bad when it's applied to anyone. I may get some disagreement about this but I think it's different for a man.
Particularly in some cultures. It may sound sexist but most men perceive MI as a weakness and an almost unforgivable weakness in other men. It is but only in the manner that any debilitating illness is. I have a nephew who is paralyzed from the neck down from a diving injury. He perceives it as a weakness. I think he's incredibly strong and brave. Maybe the key is in the individual perception?
Even men like us who have had MH issues perceive it as a weakness in ourselves even if we wouldn't put that stigma on other men. My friends never made me feel weak or stigmatized and neither did most of my family. They were sympathetic and disappointed because the illness held me back from accomplishing the big things we expected me to accomplish. Only a few people looked down on it as a weakness. Most of those thoughts of weakness and stigma came from within. As yours seems to.
I still deal with it so I'm afraid I can't give you any great advice. Don't give up hope though.