I’ve seen both of those firsthand. I’ve also seen how powerful it can be when we don’t stigmatize someone dealing with illness, including mental health issues, and when they are grieving. It changes everything to know that people are willing to connect with us during the times we need their support the most.
What would you add to his list of practical ways to show you care?Â
We know that connection is a key indicator of mental health, and the number of people, not just men, who lack meaningful connections is increasing. Perhaps instead of telling boys all how they shouldn’t connect unless it’s in a very short list of acceptable ways, we should embrace all the ways they can connect.
What I’ve known since I was a child being abused is that boys who are withdrawn and disconnected are easy targets for some evil people. It’s dangerous. Stop limiting the ways they can connect; young men need to stop limiting themselves and find healthy connections.Â
We have created a culture that makes it challenging to form and sustain meaningful connections. It truly is a cultural problem. Whether it’s the lack of third places, our focus on work instead of community, or the fear of reaching out to others, we’re growing increasingly isolated.Â
That isolation might feel like independence, but it does real harm.
We’ve done a lot of work to eliminate stigma over the years. It’s nearly impossible to argue that there is a significant number of people in the US who don’t know about mental health, or understand that it’s not uncommon. And yet, we still have a stigma problem:
This reluctance to get help kills people. The societal norm that says it’s weak for men to seek professional help, that we should be strong and stoic in the face of every situation, kills men.Â
