Could we improve men’s mental health?

Cloudbear76@lemmy.world to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 138 points –

Would more men be open to going to therapy if they had resources tailored specifically for them, and if the office had Emotional Support Animals for appointment use?

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Men, in general, are perfectly mentally healthy. There are men who suffer from such things as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder--these men require medical treatment for these disorders as much as I require glasses for my myopia. These are medical problems that require medical solutions.

I am not one of those men. I'm one of the many men who operates under a constant layer of depression, anxiety and anger. For men like me, "Therapy" is pretty much a scam. What's the difference between going to see a "therapist" and going to a fortune teller to read some tarot cards? It costs a lot, insurance won't pay for it, it takes up a lot of time, and nothing about your situation is ever improved. I'm depressed and anxious and angry because society by and large doesn't work. The rich are ruining the world for the rest of us out of sheer greed. I'm a widely skilled man, I'm an auto mechanic, a carpenter, a pilot, a programmer...I've never had a job that paid all of my bills. And there is nothing.

Nothing.

NOTHING.

NOTHING!!!

that a master's degree in a tweed jacket can write on a legal pad that will fix that.

"Resources tailored specifically for them" What "resources?" They ain't got no "resources." They've got a box of tissues and a stack of board games for the neglected/abused children they have to handle. They don't have a July that isn't the hottest on record, health insurance that pays for eye glasses, or stable food prices in there.

Talking about "emotional support animals" makes me think that this is a question of marketing. Therapy for Men^TM^ where the therapist wears flannel and a bushy beard with a waxed mustache, the whole place is wood paneled, there's pictures of axes on the walls, all the furniture is brown leather. Focus groups have shown this is effective for marketing hygiene products, kitchen implements, clothes and alcohol to men, maybe it'll work for mental health counseling.

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