Breaking the Stigma Around Men’s Mental Health

As a clinician who’s worked with countless men facing depression, anxiety, trauma, and burnout, I can
tell you this: most don’t walk into the clinic saying, “I’m struggling.” They come in talking about how tired they are. How nothing excites them anymore. How they’re losing patience with their kids. How they’re drinking more. Working more. Feeling less.

And more often than not, they’ve been carrying this weight for months, sometimes years, without
saying a word to anyone.

Breaking the Silence: Men’s Mental Health Is in Crisis

We’re getting better as a society at talking about mental health, but men still face unique challenges.
Cultural pressure to be tough, silent, and self-sufficient keeps too many guys from opening up. The
result? Men are far less likely to seek mental health treatment, and far more likely to suffer in silence.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (2023), about 9% of men in the U.S. report daily
feelings of depression or anxiety. But fewer than half receive treatment. That gap isn’t because men
don’t struggle. It’s because they often don’t feel like they can talk about it.

As a clinician, I’ve seen how this leads to deeper problems: irritability, substance use, chronic stress,
emotional withdrawal. And the stats back this up. The CDC reports that men die by suicide nearly four
times more often than women. It’s a quiet crisis that needs louder conversations, and better solutions.

Why Traditional Antidepressants Don’t Always Work

For those who do reach out, traditional treatments often start with antidepressants like SSRIs. These
can be helpful, but they also come with limitations. They take weeks to kick in, if they work at all. About
a third of people with depression don’t respond to them (Rush et al., 2006). Plus, the side effects can be
tough: weight gain, fatigue, low libido, emotional numbing.

I hear this a lot from male patients: “I feel flat.” “I’m still getting through the day, but I’m not really living
it.” And that’s where newer options like ketamine therapy are shifting the conversation.

Ketamine: Changing the Way We Treat Depression

Ketamine isn’t new, it’s been used as an anesthetic since the 1970s. But in the last 15+ years,
researchers discovered that at lower, controlled doses, ketamine has rapid and powerful antidepressant
effects. And for people who haven’t found relief from traditional meds, it can be a game-changer.
Unlike SSRIs, ketamine works on the brain’s glutamate system, not serotonin. It helps reset the way your
brain processes mood, memory, and emotion. It’s like pressing a hard reboot on a system that’s been
stuck for too long.

And the speed? That’s what’s remarkable. Many patients start feeling better within hours or days, not
Weeks.

What the Research Shows

There’s a growing mountain of evidence supporting ketamine’s effectiveness:
In a 2013 study published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, patients with treatment-resistant depression saw significant improvements just 24 hours after a ketamine infusion (Murrough et al.,2013).
A 2018 meta-analysis found that one dose of IV ketamine significantly reduced suicidal thoughts in patients with depression (Wilkinson et al., 2018).
A 2022 clinical trial showed that repeated ketamine infusions reduced PTSD symptoms in veterans, with higher doses having a more sustained effect (Abdallah et al., 2022).
Other research shows ketamine may reduce anxiety and support long-term changes in the brain’s ability to adapt and recover (Andrade, 2017; Krystal et al., 2019).

For men stuck in that “functional but barely hanging on” place, that kind of rapid relief can be life-changing.

What It Feels Like to Get Ketamine Therapy

The process is simple and structured. We do a full medical and psychiatric assessment to make sure
you’re a good fit. Then you come in for a series of IV infusions, usually six, spaced over two to three
Weeks.

The treatment room is calm and private. During the infusion, you’ll be monitored by trained staff. Most
patients describe the experience as surreal but not scary. Some feel deeply relaxed, others get
emotional or introspective. Many leave feeling lighter, mentally and emotionally.

Side effects are usually mild and short-lived: nausea, dizziness, or feeling a little spacey for a few hours
Afterward.

This isn’t magic. It’s not a cure-all. But for many people, it opens a door that’s been shut for a long time.

Why It Speaks to Men

• In my experience, ketamine therapy resonates with a lot of men because:
• It’s fast. You don’t have to wait weeks to know if it’s working.
• It’s clinical and discreet. No daily meds. No emotional over-disclosure. Just a clear plan.
• It offers emotional clarity. Ketamine can help reconnect you to feelings you’ve pushed away.
• It restores a sense of control. You walk out of that room knowing something inside has shifted.
• Men often describe a sense of relief that they didn’t think was possible. They show up more present, for themselves, for their families, for their work. And often, it’s the beginning of a bigger healing journey.

Final Thoughts: There’s Strength in Reaching Out

If you’re reading this and something is resonating, don’t wait.

Mental health isn’t about weakness. It’s about being human. Struggling doesn’t make you broken. And asking for help? That’s one of the strongest things you can do.

Whether it’s ketamine therapy or another path, there are options that work. And they’re worth exploring.If you’re a man feeling disconnected, burnt out, numb, or just not like yourself, know this: you’re not alone. There’s support. There’s treatment. And there’s a way back to yourself.

Get in touch with us at Regen and we can come up with a plan for you.