Wisconsin ‘Man Brain’ campaign focuses on men's mental health

Abstract

Brown County therapists say men's mental health doesn't get the attention it needs in Northeast Wisconsin, Fox 11 News reported July 19. A new awareness campaign hopes to change that by meeting men where they are. Kenneth Sann, a mental health therapist at Foundations Health and Wholeness, says mental health can affect the people you might not expect. “I've had men say, ‘I've hung out with this guy for 12 years; we went fishing every day. I never knew that he was struggling with depression,’” said Sann, also one of the therapists behind the “Man Brain” campaign. Sann sees people who have already realized they are struggling with mental health. “Man Brain” is meant to help people before they need therapy. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention says suicide is the ninth‐leading cause of death in Wisconsin. “We know that as of July 1 we've had 19 completed suicides in Brown County,” said Foundations Health and Wholeness outpatient counseling director Julie Feld, who tracks suicides in the community. Feld says they want to get the word out, to prevent what they can and provide counseling outside of their facility.