There’s no question that parents’ mental health is an excellent predictor of their children’s mental health; children of parents suffering from anxiety and/or depression are far more likely to be diagnosed with the same conditions. Unfortunately, most of the research done on parental mental-health influences has focused exclusively or primarily on mothers. As a result,...Continue reading
Gary, Gary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? Wait, that’s not how the old nursery rhyme goes. Who is Gary, and what’s he doing in the garden? Chances are Gary is a young guy, somewhere between the ages of 18 and 34. Not only is Gary interested in gardening, he’s likely to spend 100...Continue reading
Establishing healthy dietary patterns early in life can provide young Americans with the foundation to continue those behaviors throughout later life stages. Unhealthy dietary patterns and inadequate physical activity in children and adolescents ages 2 to 18 contribute to overweight and obesity — as well as increasing the risk of chronic diseases such as type...
Autism affects more than 3.5 million Americans, with boys four times more likely than girls to be afflicted, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says. Autism increased in children in the United States by 119 percent from 2000, when the rate was one child in 150, to 2010, when the rate was one...
COVID-19’s isolation may be necessary for physical health, but it’s causing a torrent of mental health problems for boys and young men that are worsening as the pandemic drags on. Family members, friends and work colleagues can play an important part in monitoring the mental health of the men and boys they care about. The...Continue reading
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a double whammy for rural men: Their access to medical care is often difficult because of long distances to travel for treatment, and they are less likely to have access to high-speed internet for telehealth visits. Even before the pandemic, healthcare for rural men had unique challenges. For the approximately...Continue reading
You know what they say: New Year equals a new me, right? Well, despite the overwhelming feeling of relief by many that our calendars have flipped from 2020 to 2021, it is absolutely vital to both men and women to make a plan to stay on top of their health. Some could read that last...
I’ve known Michael Gurian for more than thirty years. We met at one of the early men’s gatherings in 1990 and I’ve gotten to know him quite well over the years. He is one of the world’s foremost gender experts and has pioneered efforts to bring neuro-biology and brain research into homes, schools, corporations, and...Continue reading
Dear Mr. Dad: I’m completely convinced that my son has an eating disorder. When he was little, he was always a little on the heavy side. At about 11—right when puberty hit—he suddenly started dieting. At first, I was proud of him for taking charge of his own weight. He looked really good and seemed...Continue reading
As a young man, I often learned life lessons from my father. Perhaps none have been as lasting as the lesson he inadvertently taught me about health as his own health took a downward turn. While I was in middle school—a time when most boys are navigating puberty—my dad was busy prepping for heart valve...Continue reading