innovation in men’s mental health

Innovation in Men’s Mental HealthUsing Humor, Media & Digital Engagement

Sally Spencer-Thomas, Psy.D.Speaker. Trainer. Change Agent

www.SallySpencerThomas.com SallySpencerThomas@gmail.co

m

• Why working

aged men?

• Why innovation?

• New Programs

• Collaborative

Crisis Response

Planning

Goals

Carson Spencer 1969-2004

4OUT OF

EVERY5PEOPLE WHO DIE

BY SUICIDE

ARE MEN

Surviving a suicidal act is

considered “un-masculine”Gender Roles

Note: Masculinity is not a stable, internal, trait-like construct (variability)

[1] Canetto, S. S., and Lester, D. (1995a). Women and suicidal behavior: Issues and dilemmas. New

York: Springer.

[2] White, J., & Stillion, J. M., (1988). Sex differences in attitudes toward suicide: Do males stigmatize

males? Psychology of Women Quarterly, 12, 357-372.

• DSM-IV misses the mark=under-diagnosis

• Fatigue and Sleep Disorder – reported as and treated from medical symptom

perspective

• Irritability/anger/violence/Impulsivity - seen “acting out”

• Lowered stress tolerance

• Loss of interest

• Alcohol and drug abuse and other “vices” – seen as congruent with male

ideologies

“Male-depression syndrome” or masked depression

Walinder, J. & Rutz, W. (2000)

Stages of Help-Seeking

Symptom Perception

Denial, under-

evaluation,

normalization

Self-medication

Information to significant others

Referral to lay system

Referral to medical care system

Self-

initia

ted

Self-

initia

ted

Initia

ted b

y

oth

ers

Illness is a threat to masculinity

Help-seeking is a threat to masculinity

Moller-Leimkuhler, 2002

Why InnovationOVERCOMING A BRANDING PROBLEM

• It is better than what they are currently doing

• It is compatible with social norms

• It is simple

• They can try it out first

• They see others doing it…

“Easy, fun, popular….”

People adopt new behaviors when…

~Paul Quinnett

National Fatherhood Campaign

Know your audience: Who are the “double jeopardy" men?Primary Audience: Men, ages 25 to 54

• Many risk factors

• Least likely to seek help on own

• Stoic & self-reliant

• Traditional masculine norms

• Risk taking/fearless

MAN THERAPY™

Strategic Partnership

“Find stories of other men with ‘vicarious credibility’

who have struggled and recovered.”

“Just being a man leads to choices that are damaging to mental health [talking about male norm-congruent vices that are self-medicating]”

“People with mental disorders are seen [by many

men] as unstable, unreliable, lazy, poor performers,

or sick…so we make fun of mental illness as a

source of coping, distancing.”

“[When I was depressed] I was a destruction

machine – drinking, fighting, driving drunk –

death? Who cares?”

“Can’t move a couch by yourself, can’t jump a car

by yourself – sometimes you just need a hand to

get over the big bumps in life.”

“Show me how to fix myself. How to stitch

up my own wound like Rambo.”

CONCLUSIONS:

• Soften the mental health language in initial

communication

• Use humor, particularly dark humor

• Show role models of hope and recovery

• Connect the dots: physical symptoms

• Meet men where they are

CONCLUSIONS (con’t)

• Target “double jeopardy men”

• Offer opportunities to give back & make meaning out of

the struggle

• Coach the people around the high-risk men

• Give men at least a chance to assess and “fix themselves”

THE SOLUTION

IDEALLY WE REACH MEN BEFORE THE POINT OF CRISIS

ADDRESSING MENTAL HEALTH UPSTREAM /

Depression

ViolenceSubstance

Abuse

1. Create social change among men and the general population about

mental health and overall wellness.

2. Empower men to take action/ownership of their mental healthy and

overall wellness through self-screening and outreach.

3. Reduce suicidal thoughts and deaths among men (long-term)

Goals of Man Therapy

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eCARD/ MANTHERAPY 2.0

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MAN THERAPY /VETERANS & ACTIVE DUTY /

COLLATERAL CREATIVE

DESIGN SHIFT FOR MILITARY AUDIENCE /

POSTER HEADLINES /

POSTER HEADLINES /

POSTER HEADLINES /

New First Responder Collateral /

Launch Party: Guys Night Out

July 9, 2012

Cactus © 2017 All Rights Reserved.

IMPACT TO DATE

• 79% Male

• 62% Ages 25 to 54

• 10% Military (1% active, 9% veteran)

• 39% “Because of me”

• 8% “For a friend or family member”

• 51% “Just curious”

Survey

• 83% would recommend Man Therapy to a friend in need

• 51% agree or strongly agree to being more likely to seek help

• 73% report the 18-pt Head Inspection helped direct them to

appropriate resources

• 78% were satisfied of very satisfied with Man Therapies

• 67% were satisfied or very satisfied with Tales of Triumph

Survey (con’t)

• 43% - Humor (light-hearted, fun, hilarious)

• 37% - Quality of site and features (fresh, creative, accessible, helpful,

honest, trustworthy, testimonials, interactive, branding, design,

authentic, engaging, illuminating)

• 17% - Manly (not too touchy feely, blunt, not feel like a wuss)

• 10% - Identify with Dr. M

• 2% - Reassuring / Relieving during experience

Survey – “One thing you liked…”

• 22% - No (“nope”, “nada”, “absolutely not”)

• 21% - Technology problems (bandwidth buffering, navigation, inability to print handouts, captioning

needed, typos)*

• 9% - More material needed (“Woman Therapy”, more resources than CO, more topics covered: PTSD,

spousal abuse, sexuality, prescription drug abuse, grief, chronic illness)

• 7% - Offensive, too many stereotypes, not funny

• 1% - Lack of Diversity

• 1% - Too spiritual

Survey – “Anything you didn’t like…”

* Most problems addressed/fixed

The use of humor with this topic is incredibly important. The last

place that a person struggling wants to go to is a 'sterile' site that

sucks out that last bit of dignity.

SURVEY – HUMOR

The relaxed, non-confrontational nature of the site, like a friend

saying hey, c'mon over, we'll shoot some pool and chill out, the sense

of acceptance and camaraderie.

SURVEY – ACCESSIBLE & ENGAGING

The gentleman talking me through the site was a very welcoming addition. After

the survey, his calm yet concerned voice was very reassuring, even if it was a

prerecorded speech. In a sense, it helped me calm down long enough to think

straight.

Weirdly, I feel as though the "virtual" counselor actually cares about me and that

makes me much more comfortable addressing my mental health issues.

SURVEY – RELATE TO DR. M

Manly. Was upset about recent stressful problems, got a laugh out

of this and helped gain perspective.

SURVEY – MANLY

At first I thought the use of stereotypes may be harmful, but that

it is meant to be ironic and to appeal to the men who are most likely

to avoid treatment. Keep up the good work!

SURVEY – STEREOTYPES

@sspencerthomas

A Man’s Journey

Learning, Loving and Living Through Life’s Challenges

THANK YOU!Stay connectedSally Spencer-Thomas, Psy.D.Speaker. Trainer. Change Agent

www.SallySpencerThomas.com

Facebook: @DrSallySpeaksTwitter: @sspencerthomas

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