"Welcome to the newest edition of the Behavioral Health Q&A Column! VPPPA has partnered with experts at MindWise Innovations to present a monthly Q&A article addressing questions that members might be hesitant to ask about. These columns will address your questions about mental health, substance abuse, brain injuries, family issues and more. We will be posting a new column on the third Thursday of each month. To submit your own question for the experts click here!
June is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to acknowledge that cultural forces and expectations traditionally placed on men can get in the way of help seeking.
What cultural forces? Historically, men have been raised with the idea that to be strong means not voicing any problem, powering through struggles, and keeping their feelings to themselves. This can result in feeling overwhelmed by depression, anxiety and other mental health struggles. The impact of not reaching out can lead to damaging behavioral like substance use, gambling, alcohol misuse and risky behaviors. The following questions address how we can support men’s behavioral health needs."
Thank you VPPPA!