Stigma Matters

Mental health is gaining traction within insurance policies, and public opinion is slowly moving. However, certain sectors of society are continually plagued by the damning stigma of mental health. Specifically, the social norms of many male-dominated arenas have hindered the ability of some to seek care, preventative or reactive. I have written about the difficulties that our soldiers and veterans are confronted with mental health issues (July 10 Post).  And the same could be said for professional athletes.

It appears that, Kenny McKinley, an NFL player, recently committed suicide after battling depressive symptoms.  In a subsequent article, there is evidence that Kenny had shared his suicidal ideation before taking his life. "'He had made statements while playing dominoes shortly after the surgery that he should just kill himself,' an unnamed investigator reported, via the AP. 'No one believed he was serious,'" the article stated.

The knee-jerk reaction to incidences of mental health problems in these populations is that resources should be made available to players.  The reality is, however, that resources are available. In fact, as a recent article indicates (Despite Resources, Players Reluctant to Seek Help), there are services offered to help players cope with various issues (e.g., financial, family). Within their player development program, free counseling sessions and trained staff people are made available on a regular basis.  Further, "The NFL Players Association hands out cards with the number of a helpline. There are life skills classes, both mandatory and voluntary, taught on a regular basis."

So why aren't players getting help?
No one can be certain why Kenny did not seek help or if it would have prevented his suicide. Yet, it is likely that the stigma of mental illness prevents players like Kenny from utilizing psychological services. As participant of society, it is important to understand how we act, react, and participate in mental health prevention and remediation; these actions dictate the connotations and stereotypes of mental health, which may influence how welcome others feel in seeking help. This is especially true in masculine jobs. 

Therapizing, Researching, and Covering Long Distances

[Disclaimer: I'm missing family, so I thought I'd blog to catch some of them up on my semester so far.]

As it turns out, when the semester begins, life gets crazy busy...

My weekdays have been filled with an internship as a therapist at a non-public school for students with emotional-behavioral difficulties. The challenges facing my clients are profound, transgenerational, and incredibly obdurate.  My role is designed to be a therapist, but by necessity, I am adopting roles as teacher consultant, case manager, and (fill in the blank to whatever is needed at the moment).  I'm making some strong professional relationships, and I am being challenged emotionally, professionally, and philosophically.  With great challenge is coming great reward (I hope!).  In my short time, I have quickly re-realized what an amazing dice-roll I received from God/cosmos (stability, support systems, privilege, etc.).

My weeknights have been filled with research on three different projects. First, I am continuing my own research on person-environment fit and student motivation. I am submitting my first solo piece for publication in the upcoming months! Second, I am working with a local charter school to conceptualize and measure gains in their first years.  Tomorrow, I am presenting our findings to the teachers.  My final project deals with high-schoolers' college knowledge (and I'm finding really interesting trends across SES and racial/ethnic groups!).

My weekends are consumed by endurance races. And by races, I mean finishing the distance in how ever long it takes me.  This month, I ran my first two ultra-marathons (both 50kms), the latter being much faster and more enjoyable.  Lou and Daniel provided some much-needed nutritional and preparation counsel, which benefited me greatly on the second go-around. Tracy has been supportive of these self-indulgent Saturdays. Tracy and I cycled to the summit of Mt. Tam two weekends ago, and this weekend, we are heading to Lake Tahoe for a Century.  Although I have loved my trail runs, I am anxious to get into the saddle. 

Never a dull moment.