Some of America’s most influential men are speaking up and taking action to reduce the stigma around men’s mental health.

“For 29 years, I thought about mental health as someone else’s problem. Sure, I knew on some level that some people benefited from asking for help or opening up. I just never thought it was for me. To me, it was form of weakness that could derail my success in sports or make me seem weird or different.”
 
This is a recount from NBA Cleveland Cavaliers player, Kevin Love, following his anxiety attack which led to him seeking therapy and publicly encouraging men and boys to talk when things get tough.
 
Like Kevin, other men in the spotlight are now opening up about their bouts of poor mental health, and struggles with anxiety and depression. Similar to our Mo Bro’s, these men are sharing stories of times when they felt alone, afraid and suffered in silence, with the hope of helping others.
 
In May 2017, the rapper Logic released the song titled, ‘1-800-273-8255’ the number to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The song, which was inspired by Logic’s personal experience with anxiety and depression, has sparked tremendous conversation around destigmatizing mental illness. “I was having these dark thoughts about death, not killing myself, but I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m mortal.’ I had all these realizations, and they were all negative things. It was a culmination of a year of hell for me that I put into a song.”
 
Professional dancer, actor and singer Derek Hough partnered with the Movember Foundation in 2017 to advocate for men opening up and being honest about what’s really going on in their lives. “Especially with men, there’s this stigma of how we can’t talk about our feelings and emotions, and we keep everything to ourselves. I just want to encourage men to let it out and talk to each other and know that it’s not a weakness to show vulnerability."
 
The Movember Foundation is working to combat these issues through our Making Connections initiative funded in partnership with the Prevention Institute, to develop and implement actionable, community-level prevention plans to improve mental health for men and boys. 
 
Too many are toughing it out and struggling alone. Men have to take action to improve mental health and reduce the rate of male suicide. As evidenced by men in the spotlight who are sharing their personal struggles and those of the men around them, the moment is here to have an open, honest conversation about mental health.
 
It all starts with a conversation. Here are some tips for getting started.
 

1. Ask a man who might be going through a tough time how he’s doing
2. Listen without judgement
3. Encourage action
4. Check in regularly

 
To learn more about the Movember Foundation’s work in mental health and suicide prevention, click here.