Markers for Men: Raising Awareness for Men’s Mental Health
The idea for my final project in IMS228 came from the increased need for mental health resources for men. Recently, people have begun to realize the importance of mental health and how it affects each individual. There has been a rise in movements towards mentally healthier workplaces, homes, and people. Treatment is widely advertised and available, although, for men, it’s less normal and almost frowned upon in certain groups. Men often want to hide their emotions and bottle them up, rather than get the help they need. Males suppress their mental issues, leading to them becoming increasingly hard to work and live with while turning more destructive in their lives.
To combat this, I want to create awareness of Men’s Mental Health importance through stickers and symbols showing different resources available. They will be available to everyone, but the target audience is men of all ages. I want to specifically make stickers because as people place them on different things, they will be recognized or bring awareness to men all over campus, and eventually the world.
The Goal.
To ultimately raise awareness for mental health, especially focusing on the rise in Men’s Mental Health Issues.
To start movement towards the action needed for Men’s Mental Health to be treated equally as other groups.
The Audience.
The Future Leaders and Visionaries
Men and other groups that are struggling with mental health issues
People who are ashamed of their mental health issues
People who know someone else who is struggling
People who want to be more informed on how to help
The Designs
The Designs
Before
The Process.
Create the Designs using Photoshop and Illustrator
Format and Print the Designs onto Sticker Paper
Cut and Photograph the Stickers
Pass out the stickers around campus, along with online through my Etsy Storefront
Sharing the Stickers!
I shared the stickers at different buildings around campus including the Student Health Building, Withrow Hall, Philips Hall, and the Art Building. Along with making small displays of stickers, I also showed off my project at the ETBD Expo and have an Etsy Page.
After
Why it Matters?
Men are also more likely to die by suicide than women. (Hedegaard et al.)
Over 6 million men suffer from depression per year, but male depression often goes underdiagnosed. (Cohut)
Nearly 1 in 10 men experience some form of depression or anxiety but less than half seek treatment. (Anxiety & Depression Association of America)
This is thousands of examples in one thread
Here is a Mayo Clinic Article on Men’s Depression
The Feedback.
I learned a lot from the feedback I received, and although only received one feedback form from the QR codes (the rest were at the ETBD Expo) still learned so much. Here are the results and quotes from the feedback. The second quote section was just an area where they could leave feedback and comments, where a bunch of people just said “Good job with the project.”
The overall consensus from people of all ages and genders was, yes men’s mental health is overlooked, and although many don’t know how to help that - a few offered good insights and reasons to help. I heard about other peoples’ struggles and the whole reason I started this project was because of my own so raising awareness is so important to me.
Do you think Men's Mental Health is Overlooked?
Did you enjoy the Sticker Designs?
“Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.”
— Franklin D. Roosevelt
Final Thoughts.
Overall I think the project was a success. It taught people about the importance of Men’s Mental Health and raised awareness about the importance of being there for others, especially men. I think raising awareness through fun ways, like stickers, and more statistical ways, like charts and infographics, is of great importance, especially for the new generations and people who grew up in not-so-friendly environments. I hope to continue to raise awareness for this issue and see the world around me adapt and change to help every group of people.