Four Ways You Can Support Young Men’s Mental Health

(StatePoint) There is an epidemic of loneliness affecting boys and young men in America. The fascination with recent shows like Netflix’s “Adolescence,” Jonathan Haidt’s “The Anxious Generation,” and the return of the online “Ice Bucket Challenge” spotlight this youth mental health crisis in important ways that have reached millions. It is no secret how the mental health crisis has impacted boys and young men, making the conversation more important than ever.

Meanwhile, statistics show that large numbers of boys and young men are feeling driftless and alienated; and so-called AI “aggro-rithms” are filling the void by increasingly driving them toward misogynistic and anti-democratic content online.

Traditional gender roles have resulted in boys and young men often being left out of the mental health conversation and care, despite being at particularly high risk for poor mental health outcomes. They are the least likely to seek mental health support and are four times more likely to die by suicide than women in the United States.

“Supporting boys in addressing mental health challenges begins with ensuring that they have the role models to learn how to build healthy relationships, ultimately leading them to take healthier actions, and create safer communities for all,” says Brian O’Connor, vice president at Futures Without Violence, a national non-profit.

For nearly 40 years, Futures Without Violence has pioneered programs and resources for advocates, policymakers and other professionals to foster safe, healthy communities. Through its Engaging Men programming, the organization is working to mitigate online dangers for boys and men, addressing the mental health crisis among them by connecting them with trusted mentors, and is supporting them to engage in healthier relationships.

One of their efforts is a program called Team: Changing Minds (T:CM), which launched three years ago after a $5 million grant through Harry’s Open Mind Initiative. Training already-embedded adults in the lives of kids, like sports coaches, teachers, mentors and community leaders, to recognize early signs of mental health challenges, the program leverages existing relationships and trust to connect boys and young men to necessary support. With the support of founding investor Harry’s, and partners FUTURES, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, T:CM has trained over 80,000 adults to-date and is on track to reach over 1 million youth within the next year.

Anyone can be a mental health support for the boys and men in their life. Here are four simple, everyday actions family members, friends and coaches can take right away:

1. Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask simple questions that show concern. If there are specific changes you’ve noticed, mention them. This can be as simple as, “You’ve been less talkative lately, is there anything you’d like to talk about?”

2. Listen to understand (not to respond) with empathy. If you’ve shown the young people in your life that you’re someone who really hears them, they may be more likely to talk to you when they are having a rough time.

3. Ask for help. You're not a therapist, and you aren’t expected to have all the answers. Lean on experts (such as school counselors or your child’s pediatrician) and brainstorm others you can call in to be part of the support team. You’re an important piece of this puzzle, but you never have to do this alone.

4. If you or someone you know needs help, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by just dialing 988.

To become a Team Changing Minds responder, visit teamchangingminds.org. To learn more about the mental health crisis affecting men and boys, visit futureswithoutviolence.org.

“Focusing on everyday actions to empower boys and young men to step into the simple things they can do as leaders, allies and change-makers is the goal, ” says O’Connor.

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