MIAMI VALLEY — There’s a new focus on men’s mental health.
June is men’s mental health month, with figures showing that one in 25 men suffer from depression and one in eight are affected by anxiety.
News Center 7’s Nick Foley spoke with Julie Manuel from Kettering Health’s Behavioral Health Center.
“You know, societal wisdom is that if you can pick yourself up and get back to work quickly, you’ll be fine,” she said.
Manuel says there’s now a lot more attention being paid to the growing trend of men suffering from some sort of mental illness, coupled with the fact that men are less likely to seek help for issues like depression and stress.
The issue may remain unresolved.
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According to Mental Health America, Foley reports that 80% of suicides are men.
Manuel says a lot of effort has been made to help people know that “it’s okay to not be okay.”
But much more needs to be done.
“I think it normalizes the conversation just by asking someone, ‘Hey, you didn’t look well this morning and I noticed you were late for work, are you OK?'” Manuel explained. “Opening up that conversation is something I think we all need to start working on a little bit more as a society, as a culture.”
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Kettering Health has begun expanding its intensive outpatient program at the Miamisburg campus, Foley said.
The idea is to provide behavioral health care to people south of Dayton.
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According to Mental Health America, suicide is the seventh leading cause of death among men.
Only 40% of men with mental health problems receive help.
Every year, one in five adults faces a mental health problem.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, you can call the Ohio Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
Counsellors are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
