WHAT IS MALE MENTAL HEALTH?
It’s a question I think about a lot as a man, father, husband, and psychiatrist treating a number of men. It’s been clear to me for a while that our notions of male mental health are pretty dated and not very accurate. In fact, there isn’t a single scientific publication about men and mental health or academic medical centers that focus on male mental health
The stats on male mental health are bad. Sadly, more than 75%of suicide deaths are men and half of men struggle with substance use during their lifetime. What makes matters worse is that, in our culture, men generally do not seek treatment…strong and silent, right?
This doesn’t have to be. It’s time we all decide to change this narrative.
In March, I started co-hosting an Instagram Live series with Men’s Health Magazine called Friday Sessions with my friend and colleague Dr. Greg Scott Brown. We met weekly with a team of editors at the magazine and over the year interviewed 26 men about their mental health.
SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF WHAT WE INCLUDED:
- Why having an open dialogue on race starts with honesty
- How to feel comfortable discussing your mental health
- Normalizing the expression of emotions for men is key to suicide prevention
- Why more therapists of color are necessary to serve more communities
- Why therapy can be a vital step toward relieving pressure on yourself
- How television and film can help start mental health conversations
- How to start 2021 with better mental health
If you missed any of the videos, you can find them all in one place HERE.
Two trends converge in 2021. 1. As a society we are starting to rethink masculinity and have opened up about mental health in general. 2. Men have been speaking up more about their mental health. I’m so grateful to be part of this process.
I hope you will check out this resource of the collected wisdom of deep conversations we had about male mental health.
