Young Men’s Health

Link

http://youngmenshealthsite.org/

Overview

Young Mens Health is a website, first published in 2008, by the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. The purpose of the website is to provide carefully researched health information to teenage boys and young men. Their health guides are created and edited by the directors of Young Men’s Health – both experts in adolescent health – with frequent input from professionals at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Young Men’s Health provides comprehensive guides for topics that fall into five main categories: general health, sexual health, medical conditions, physical health & nutrition, and emotional health. While all of these categories are useful, it is the emotional health topics that are of the greatest interest. The emotional health section provides an alphabetical list of 53 different topics. These topics range from mental illnesses – such as schizophrenia, ADHD, or depression – to different types of relationships – such as abusive, friendly, or sexual. Each guide provides a detailed description of the topic, dealing with different questions young men might have about said topic. They often always give advice for what to do if you are experiencing symptoms of an illness, as well as different types of treatment, including non-medical solutions. What makes these guides so useful is that they have been written to specifically deal with issues that are common or exclusive to young men, so the advice contained within them directly caters to their audience. For some of the more comprehensive topics, such as sexual orientation or suicide, a list of additional resources on the topic are listed within the guide, making it easy for youth to expand their knowledge or search even further.

There are a number of quizzes provided that allow youth to test their knowledge or assumptions about mental health topics.  Finally, there is an “ask us” option, that allows for questions to be submitted for answering by Young Men’s Health staff. Previous frequently asked questions are also posted along with the responses to them.

Analysis

Young Men’s health is a rich and detailed educational resource for young men who are looking to learn about all aspects of mental health. Their guides are very comprehensive, while also being written in a manner that makes it easy to understand the information provided. The primary reason why this resource has been included is because of its perspective. While it is teaching about mental health issues that affect everyone, it has a uniquely male perspective that is directed towards the issues and circumstances that young men commonly face.

While each guide provides in depth information on a topic, it also provides helpful tips on what to do if you are experiencing a certain feeling, such as anger. For those young men who are looking for indirect means of help, this is a great tool. The “ask a question” section is also useful; as it shows what other young men are asking about in regards to mental health. This can help some individuals as it shows that there are other people like them dealing with similar issues. This resource can also be a help to young men who have friends dealing with mental health issues or illnesses, as the guides offer explicit advice on what to do if you have a friend who could be dealing with a mental health issue or illness.

Through an educational tool such as Young Mens Health, it is possible to fight both negative mental health stigma and poor mental health literacy. By having access to a wide range of topics, young men are able to better understand the causes and effects of mental illnesses, as well as what it is like to live with one. Greater understanding equips young men with the ability to combat negative notions of mental health and harmful gender stereotypes. By learning more on these topics, young men can also gain the skills to better understand what they can do as individuals to improve their own mental wellbeing. Knowing what the symptoms or side effects of a mental illness are can lead to young men seeking out professional assistance if they are exhibiting signs of a mental illness.