Why is the "You OK, Bro?" campaign so critical today?
The stigmas around men’s mental health were already an obstacle for many men who need care. The internal shame, or the perception that reaching out for behavioral help, somehow diminishes a man’s strength, has been an insurmountable and lingering barrier that perpetuates suffering. The result is a huge segment of the population of men with untreated depression, anxiety, grief and/or addiction that manifests in failed relationships, reduced productivity, divorce, alcoholism, drug abuse, violence, and even suicide. Each one of these misery markers was made more malignant by the pandemic and have exacerbated racial and political strife and violence that have dominated the last several years.
“You OK, Bro?” is the beginning of a dialog that can start with those words, whether between just two men, or at a national scale. Asking “You OK, Bro?” is the definitive seminal campaign that will change the way America sees and talks about men’s mental health.