ROGERS, Ark — June is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, nearly 1 in 10 men experience a form of anxiety or depression. But of that statistic, less than half seek treatment.
Two local men shared their mental health journey.
“My mental health was pretty bad. It had been bad for several decades and I just got to the point where I was not functional. I needed to make some changes,” said Eric Lesh.
Starting at a young age, Eric Lesh said he struggled with anxiety and later in life, some depression. But it wasn’t until a job loss and the passing of his dad that made him realize he needed to focus on his mental health.
“I had never had a conversation with anyone about my mental health other than a therapist at that point, but I knew I needed help,” Lesh said.
He searched for steps to take and while searching, he came across a mental health support group that meets once a month at the Rogers Public Library.
“All of a sudden for the first time I wasn’t alone. Because until that point, I had never met people who had gone through the same thing,” Lesh said.
Lesh remembers being nervous walking into that first group meeting. But, that is where he met Joe DeRouen who has a similar story.
“It was 2015 when I joined the group, my wife found the group for me. I went and one of the first thoughts I had was there's people just like me and that was honestly half the battle,” DeRouen said.
DeRouen now helps lead the group that Eric attends monthly: the Mental Health Issues Support Group of NWA. Lesh joined about a year after Joe in 2016. And the two say the group has gotten them to a more positive point in their lives.
“I feel like more of a man I want to be— more of the person I want to be,” Lesh said.
At first, Lesh said he was worried that some may judge him as a man for addressing his mental health.
“I’ve learned how I want to be, how I want to act, how I want to treat people— and this is helping me do more of that,” said Lesh, proving that you can be “manly” while still taking care of your mental health. He went on to say “I hunt, I fish, I do things around the house... I’m a lot of different things, and learning to accept you're more than one thing is a huge part of it."
Leaving stigmas in the past as men like Lesh and DeRouen teach their sons, the next generation, that it is ok to ask for help.
“We all have emotions, we all have things to deal with, and if we don’t deal with them, they sometimes explode, said DeRouen.
If you are struggling with mental health, anyone over the age of 16 is welcome to join their group. Their Facebook page is called Mental Health Issues Support Group of NWA.
You can also find more information about other support groups here.
If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, immediate help is available. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers available 24/7. Dial 988 to connect with the lifeline.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.