Asking for help is the manly thing to do.

Making a good man better ...

It takes a real man to ask for help.  As men, in my generation, we were taught that men suck it up and deal with their problems.  We had images of John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson and their super macho swaggers shown to us over and over.  I remember being told, boys dont cry or if you want to crt, ill give you something to cry about, all common sayings in my era.  If you were in the military, it was re-inforced, almost to the point where you become un-emotional.  You are the stoic rock that can be depended on under stress.  You learn to control...or rather suppress your negative emotions very well so that you can function under pressure.

Years of bottling this stuff up has a very negative effect over time and in men, it is even more difficult to diagnose.

One of the biggest things a man can do is seek help.  Veterans, seek out a brother veteran that knows what you have been through.  Brother Masons, seek out a true and trusted brother.  Anyone, EAP at work is a great option, programs at your local medical center, etc.  There is no reason to not seek out that help.

It isnt about sucking it up, it IS about dealing with it, in the proper way.  Hiding from it, denying it, just makes the monster bigger and harder to deal with.

Andrew Solomon: Depression, the secret we share | Video on TED.com:



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