Reducing the Stigma of Men’s Mental Health
| 3 min read
Dr. Hobbs, MD, is a senior medical director in Utilization Management at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and works with a team of physicians to evaluate medical cases. He graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School and is a former faculty member at both the Medical School and the College of Literature, Science and the Arts. His specialties are internal medicine, geriatric medicine and palliative medicine. Dr. Hobbs spent the majority of his career in patient care, teaching and academic medicine as well as research. He has three adult children and a granddaughter. His non-medical interests include competitive chess, classical music, playing the piano, learning Spanish, cooking, drawing and painting, traveling, writing, restoring an old home from 1914 and the martial arts. He has a fourth-degree black belt in Hakko Denshin Ryu Jiu Jitsu and is studying Kung Fu (Wing Chun) as well.
- Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD): Also known as alcoholism, AUD is a chronic disease characterized by an uncontrollable dependence and overconsumption of alcohol. Men are twice as likely to binge drink than women. The effects can be devastating and range from divorce, job loss, trouble with the law, drunk driving and suicide to cirrhosis, brain damage, dementia, accidents and death. Unfortunately, many remain in their addiction due to the inability to acknowledge the severity of the problem.
- Depression: In the past, depression was only viewed as a mental illness. It was considered a weakness and often shamed. We now know it’s a mood disorder that’s linked to genetic, environmental and medical factors and not a personal failing. Depression can cause loss of interest in things that once brought joy and happiness (anhedonia) and can occur with seemingly opposite behaviors. Some people lose weight while others gain. Some people have insomnia while others sleep most of the day. Although depression is treatable (with medications and counseling), individuals continue to suffer because of its negative image.
- Substance Abuse and Opioid Use Disorder: There’s been a significant increase in the abuse of opioids and other addictive drugs for recreational use. This includes illegal substances such as heroin, prescription drugs like morphine, oxycodone and codeine as well as synthetic “designer drugs.” From 1999 to 2017, 218,000 U.S. citizens died from overdoses related to prescription opioids alone. Overdoses were five times greater in 2017 than in 1999. It’s an epidemic that has destroyed families and ravaged entire communities. This problem may feel insurmountable but with a strong support system, including loved ones, individuals can be motivated to seek help.
