JEFFERSON CITY — The lead outpatient behavioral health therapist with SSM Health says the idea of men not asking for help is a myth.
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“Men do ask for help,” said James Smith, “it’s just a matter of under what circumstances.”
Smith says the two main circumstances are when men realize a task is so big they can’t do it themselves, or when they don’t have the right tools.
“When men don’t ask for help, it’s when we think we can figure it out on our own,” Smith said. “We carry this attitude of ‘do it on my own first’ into most things in our lives, including our health care.”
Smith referenced his love of motorcycles and doing the maintenance himself. He did things like changing the oil and replacing the brake pads.
He had the tools to take care of those projects. We don’t have the tools to know if our liver, kidneys or colon are functioning properly.
Smith says he has seen men wait until they have a heart attack or develop diabetes before asking for help.
“Gentlemen, I encourage you to go to the doctor for your annual checkup,” Smith said. “We don’t have the right equipment to know if there might be something going on that we can’t feel.
“The doctor has the tools to help us know the trajectory of our health.”
Smith also wants men to know the same rules apply to both physical and mental health. Men shouldn’t wait until they are depressed or suicidal to seek help.
“Mental health is health,” Smith said. “Prevention is better than response, always.”