140. Dr. John Ogrodniczuk - Silence and its Manifestations in Men’s Mental Illness

In this episode of the podcast, I’m speaking with Dr. John Ogrodniczuk, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the University of British Columbia Psychotherapy Program, one of North America’s largest medically based psychotherapy training programs. John also heads up the Men’s Mental Health Organization HeadsUpGuys. Launched in 2015, their team of clinicians, researchers, and mental health advocates bring together their expertise and personal experiences to provide men with this unique resource.

John’s research focuses on a variety of psychotherapies and patient populations, with a particular focus on personality disorders and men’s mental health. Dr. Ogrodniczuk has held several grants to support his research, which has led to over 300 scientific publications.

The catalyst of this conversation was a paper that John and his colleagues published titled “Silence and its Manifestations in Men’s mental illness.” You’ll often hear me preach the importance of reaching out for help when in need and this conversation explores why many men suffer in silence.

Topics include. Masculine norms, the overcompensation of norms leading to maladaptive masculinity, society's expectations of men, the underrepresentation of men in mental health studies, the importance of recognizing the signs of men who are struggling and how vital it is to connect with these men, substance abuse, how the lack of support for men’s mental health has an adverse effect on society and other topics.

We cover a lot in this podcast, and I truly hope you find value in this important topic. I’m going to ask this again - No matter who are, if there’s a man in your life who is struggling, reach out to him. With a simple text, phone call, or conversation, you could be saving a life.

Please visit HeadsUpGuys.org to learn more about the program and do donate.