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Post by Admin on Jun 5, 2017 16:21:33 GMT -4
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Post by Fernando Grabner on Jun 6, 2017 8:56:33 GMT -4
Anyone in a position of public power has a great responsibility for the influence they hold over their admirers. Whether justified or not, people look up to and often emulate celebrities. It's nice when these celebrities use that influence for good, as cited in this article in regards to famous men being more open about their own experiences with mental illness. Hopefully, as time goes on, men will be able to break down that mental barrier against seeking help for mental illness, and the shocking suicide and substance abuse rates that are associated with this gender will decrease.
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Post by Sara Witten on Jun 6, 2017 12:02:07 GMT -4
I think this article discussed an important aspect of mental health. Perhaps because I am a female, but I feel that mental health is often unrecognized among males, or at least ignored. I also believe that this article is a sign of the times and the direction that society is trending towards, as areas such as mental health are increasingly becoming less stigmatized, and more of a topic of conversation, especially as mental illness is a treatable condition.
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Post by AlanaWharton on Jun 6, 2017 15:52:32 GMT -4
It is unfortunate that we socialize our males to be macho, thereby looking down on those who are in tune with their emotions and calling them weak. This has resulted in men denying some of their emotions and totally avoiding dealing with some deep seated issues. In general there is a stigma associated with mental illness and I think that it is great that so many males are using the platform afforded them due to their celebrity status to highlight mental health among males. It is also great that these celebrity males are prominent in different arenas, I believe this will highlight that mental health is not biased and anyone regardless of class, creed or race can have a mental health issue.
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Post by ljones on Jun 6, 2017 16:01:45 GMT -4
With the revealing of increasing suicide, substance abuse and arrests of many well-known actors and actresses, the world has now shown a greater interest in mental health and understanding its importance. Contrary to beliefs, there are many celebrities who have openly admitted to suffering with mental health, like depression, OCD, ADHD and bipolar disorder and as noted in the articles eating disorders and others.Celebrities or even public figures have a great impact on the lives of many people across the globe. For example, Robin Williams, a well known actor committed suicide after being severely depressed for several years. His death lead to thousands of discussions on social media about depressions and its associated struggles.
Surprisingly male celebrities are now speaking out about their mental ailments. Due to the stigma associated with mental illness, and the behaviors of most men, women are more likely to seek professional help before men. However, it is marvelous, the efforts and participation of these men in the public awareness of mental health.
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Post by Akieya Cumberbatch on Jun 6, 2017 21:01:21 GMT -4
It's good to read that male celebrities are using their status platform to help raise awareness to the community about the importance for men to seek therapy and treatment for mental illness. Not that mental illness is gender specific but men need the push to do so more than women. There is no doubt that men do go through mental illness just as women would; however men rather conceal their emotions or stay quiet than to seek appropriate help. Before a boy becomes a man he is taught to be "tough"and to not be emotional that's for a girl and this is how they continue through life. So much to the point that they keep everything bottled in then it's too late to intervene (either ending in suicide - famous actors/comedians/singers or a point of no return). I do hope this will be a great spin for the years ahead as many of societies' issues can be handled if intervention is caught earlier rather than later. *Real men talk about their problems not hide them!*
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Post by Sara Massey on Jun 6, 2017 22:57:12 GMT -4
This article presented a serious dilemma that is men are more likely to attempt and succeed in suicide, and at the same time, men are also far less likely to seek out treatment for mental illnesses. It comes as a huge relief then that more and more people are speaking out for and raising awareness for mental health. The fact that most of these people are male celebrities, male TV personalities, and popular male sports figures, is even more beneficial, because the platform these famous personas have is more widely noticed, and reaches a greater group of people. Therefore, they are able to lead by example and influence, encourage, and relate to other males who are suffering with similar mental illnesses, but who are too afraid to open up about them for fear of not being understood, or for being viewed as “weak” or “less manly”. The fact is that everyone needs help at some point, and this is just as true for males as it is for females.
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Post by Nazia Rahman on Jun 6, 2017 23:58:58 GMT -4
This article helps illustrate how the modern society is breaking down the media`s perception of celebrities being perfect and invulnerable. As more celebrities talk about their experiences with mental illness they are inspiring people of all ages to end the stigma of mental illness as being weak and vulnerable and encouraging them to seek professional help for better health. Like the article mentioned “Mental illness is not gender specific” and men has the same like hood as females however they are more reluctant to seek help due to the stigma of weakness and often mask their symptoms with aggression or neglect. However, as more male celebrities coming out and sharing their experiences they`re showing people that mental illness can be a disability but not a weakness and is curable with proper guidance.
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Post by Opeyemi Owa on Jun 7, 2017 15:59:55 GMT -4
The more we talk openly about these issues the more we encourage others to do the same, and as the saying goes talking about a problem is the first step on the road to recovery. It's even better if the people who open up the lines of dialogue are individuals regarded as role models and the ability to reach large number of people. About 2 wks ago a kid I went to high school committed suicide and don't know even 1 person who could say they had ever even heard him say he was feeling sad, its just incomprehensible trying to contempt the things that must have been going through his mind leading up to his death. I have only ever known silence to precipitate and worsen an already bad situation. We all must do our part in encouraging the dialogue, we have a responsibility to. To much harm has come from our silence.
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Post by Roy Satmaka on Jun 7, 2017 18:49:22 GMT -4
As I previously said before, bringing mental health issues to the forefront can only do more good than harm. If what it takes is male celebrities to come forward to show that there is no shame in admitting having mental health issues. If that gets more adults and teens to follow and not to “suck it up” and internalize their problems but share and see what they are feeling is not normal and get the help they need and deserve, then great!
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Post by Paul Couto on Jun 7, 2017 20:31:02 GMT -4
There’s been a lot of discussion about how its beneficial that there has been a greater effort to dismantle negative stereotypes by male celebrities which will help others come forward with their psychiatric issues. Yes, men are less likely to speak up about their mental health and seek treatment, and yes, suicide is an epidemic in middle-aged men (according to FA 2017 its the number 2 cause of death of people 15-35). However, I would just like to point out something that hasn’t been discussed yet – the fact that increased awareness will create a greater demand for psychiatrists, which as Dr. Antin mentioned, there is currently a shortage. According to Charting Outcomes 2016 (Published by the NRMP), Psychiatry is one of the specialties with the highest number of applicants per position, in other words, there are much more applicants than there are positions (its 3rd highest, under Vascular Surgery and Neurosurgery). Therefore, there needs to be an increase in the number of psychiatry residency positions in the future to accommodate the greater use of mental health resources.
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Post by Maryam Marbina on Jun 7, 2017 21:13:13 GMT -4
I think it is very important that public figures are openly speaking about psychiatric issues they deal with. These are people that we idolize, admire, and fail to see 'flaws' in. Letting society know that every person is susceptible to struggling with mental health issues, whether rich or poor, famous or unknown, gay or straight, Muslim or Christian , black or white .. psychiatric issues effect a spectrum and it is important to talk about them, address them, deal with them. We follow trends, and we let famous people inspire us to buy things , to dress a certain way, to talk a certain way. These people are role models to society. Allowing people to know that they are vulnerable, also struggle with problems, and openly admit to them and seek help I think is a move in the positive direction for eliminating any shame or embarrassment people associate with mental/behaviors health issues .
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Post by Susanne Ajao on Jun 7, 2017 22:18:18 GMT -4
I found this article interesting and I do agree that men are less likely to seek mental health assistance than women. It is still a taboo for men to be open about their mental health issues and the discussions being made by public figures is a step towards men taking the initiative to seek help. Young men view celebrities as role model and seeing their role model going through similar issues and talking about what they are doing that helps might be an advantage to the young men and adolescents. Hopefully with time seeking mental help would not be something to be embarrassed about. The article also highlights that mental illnesses are not gender-selective according to Dan Reidenberg. And the shift toward open discussions could be beneficial to the boys and men watching.
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Post by Peter Wahba on Jun 8, 2017 8:22:24 GMT -4
From a young age, men are frequently taught to be tough and to not show emotion. This is harmful because they can go through life not knowing how to properly handle and process emotion. If they can't let their emotions out they end up internalizing what they feel and these feelings end up being destructive with men fighting depression and even attempting suicide. I think this article points out a positive aspect of our society and that is "perfect" celebrities showing how imperfect they really are. Seeing them expose their flaws and talk about how they suffer just as much as the common person with issues such as psychiatric disorders may give men the push they need to get over the stigma of not being able to share what is bothering them. We are seeing more often just how "human" these celebrities can be with them using their platform to show the public that it is acceptable to not only have issues, but to be open about them and seek help.
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Post by kurtcornell on Jun 8, 2017 10:22:07 GMT -4
This article touches on a few important points here. The first being the unfortunate personal apprehension to recognize and seek mental health treatment, especially among men. Annecdotaly, there is the old adage that no one seeks medical attention unless they are about to die. This is exacerbated further when it comes to mental health. The second important point is the perceived social stigma with seeking psychciatric treatment. I find it unfortunate and ironic especially for people where performance is so important (athletes, actors, physicians, Busisness executives) that psychciatric treatment isn't considered a first line therapy. If one can identify or even admit that they may need psychciatric attention, perhaps the more difficult thing to do is follow through and seek treatment. While I personally don't believe actors or sports athletes should be considered role models, it seems that our society's values do place a lot of worth on their skill set. If psychciatric therapy becomes more accepted among that patient population, perhaps it will trickle down to the mainstream.
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