Discussion held at UMaine for men’s mental health awareness

Article here. Excerpt:

'The Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) held a talk on men’s mental health on Wednesday at the University of Maine. The event was held in the Multicultural Student Center and was an open discussion on men’s relationship with mental health and how participants can better understand and help their friends and male loved ones.

Jon Guzman and Casper Cowan, ODI student leaders, Director Anila Karunakar and Coordinator Taylor Matthew Ashley ran the event. The purpose of this event was to have an open discussion about what men’s mental health means to the individual and how both men and women can help to impact it positively.

A topic discussed at length was the mental health struggles of men in the LGBTQ+ community. Men who identify as other than cisgender or heterosexual are reported to have significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts than other male-identifying persons. This is due in part to the intersectional stigma surrounding the ideology of traditional masculinity compounded with homophobia. This can be exacerbated when religion and culture are also important aspects of the person’s life.'