Published: June 27, 2024 / 10:34 PM PDT
View on the 11 News Website.
KKTV 11 News spoke with Porch Light Health’s Steve Carleton about the importance of talking about men’s mental health. June is National Men’s Health Month.
KKTV 11 News
KKTV 11 News. Welcome on back, and thanks for sticking with us. Now, look, June is National Men’s Health Month. For many men, the focus is physical health, but a lot of guys, including myself, my father, we don’t even like to talk about mental health. That’s why I’m joined by Steve Carleton. He’s the Clinical Director for Porch Light Health, the Front Range Clinic. Steve, thanks so much for being here. A lot of you may recognize him. He’s on our digital desk all the time. But Steve, we appreciate the drive from Denver. Great being here. Well, let’s start with a simple topic. Look, men’s health. Of course, it’s focused on this month, but honestly, year round, it should be talked about. Why is that?
Steve Carleton
Well, men’s mental health, it is your health. When we think about men in particular in mental health, what people out there need to realize is that it’s a severe issue when compared to women. Men are four times more likely to die of suicide. They’re two and a half times more likely to develop an alcohol use problem. They’re 2-3 times more likely to turn to drugs when their mental health is suffering.
KKTV 11 News
And you talk about men, boys, too. Boys are included in that. Of course, we’re a big veteran community, and there’s so many people out there who can relate to that. But let’s talk about the symptoms. Not just for, let’s say you’re watching right now, you may not pick up on your own symptoms or maybe a loved one’s noticed something.
Steve Carleton
Yeah. Behavioral symptoms are the things to look for. People typically have this idea in their head that depression is just people being mopey and not talkative. But oftentimes it shows up in a lot of other ways. It shows up as people stop doing things that they used to enjoy. It shows up as irritability. It shows up as sleep disturbance. It shows up as substance use. So these different signs, when people go from behaving one way to behaving a different way, that’s a sign that you should be concerned.
KKTV 11 News
Some could be subtle, some could be outright pretty obvious to pick out. I do want to talk about when it comes to… I’ve got my own boy at home, and I think it’s probably different, me and you talking, versus talking about this with a teen, or even we’re talking as young as 10, 9, 8. Those kids deal with depression. How do you go about talking to your kids.
Steve Carleton
It’s really interesting, the difference between boys and girls when you’re approaching topics like this. It’s all about set and setting. For girls and women, there are studies that show that they prefer a squared up conversation. For boys and men, in particular, there’s actually research that shows shoulder-to-shoulder conversations are more approachable. When you’re approaching boys and men, it’s good to have a shared activity to engage in. If you When you have an activity that you’re doing together and have those conversations, you’re going to have a lot better luck.
KKTV 11 News
That’s a huge tip right there, something I didn’t even consider. I think of my own father when talking about this, and it’s like, hey, fishing, that’s a given guy’s thing right there. Camping, stuff stuff like that. Now, when it comes to getting help, I hope a lot of our viewers know about this. Of course, the 988 Crisis Line, that’s 24/7, but it might not be a crisis situation. This could be something that somebody has been battling for months, maybe even years. Talk about what you do at Porch Light Health.
Steve Carleton
At Porch Light Health, we are primarily a medication for addiction treatment facility. We offer medications that help people that are struggling with substance use in particular because the withdrawals and the cravings and things like this really make it hard for people to stop We offer therapy. We offer an intensive outpatient, which is a three-week program that people come to and attend groups for nine hours a week. What we know from research is the more support people get with their mental health and substance use, the more likely they are to be successful. So it’s a good idea to reach out to us.
KKTV 11 News
It’s a huge thing. Of course, got the contact information up on your screen right now. Steve, you’ve always got great insight. Again, if you follow us on our website, you’ve seen this man’s face a lot. He’s got great advice. I appreciate the time. Any last message for our viewers about men’s mental health?
Steve Carleton
Talk about it, right? And pick your spot to talk to your family member about it.
KKTV 11 News
Perfect. Plain and simple. Steve, thanks so much for joining us. If you missed that number, that information, really easy to get to. Hit up our website, kktv. Com. Click the Find It tab. I’ve got it there. Take a second to think about this. Talk to your loved ones. Hoping the best for everybody out there. We’ll be right back with your full forecast right after the break.
