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Well, whatever works, I guess

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Famous Brit "footballer" Sir Bobby Charlton is opening a sports-oriented club in Manchester, England (across the Atlantic sea, and I am a genius genius, and I believe in God, and I believe that God believes in Claude and that's me ... oops, sorry). It's a club for men suffering from depression, but Charlton and co. will be taking a cognitive approach: "coaching" the men, using football analogies, to wellness. It's called "It's a Goal!" Or as the announcers say on Univision,

"Goooooooooooooooooooooooool!!"

Kudos to Charlton for thinking outside the box. He's not even a mental health professional. Which, come to think of it, may be precisely why he's thought of something new.

Kicking depression into touch [BBC]

Comments

Hellooooo,
I found this BBC article rather interesting, as a British medical student with an interest in mental health.
I was wondering about how helpful this program would be and whether it would help this legion of lost young men. I think the whole area of mental health awareness amungst young men is a bit of a nightmare. Most men find that asking for help for any issue health, in particular mental health, really difficult. It's seen as unmasculine, sissy and efeminate. And even if they recognise that they need help, often the NHS doesn't take these young men as seriously as they should. Educating young men about depression is just as hard .
Unless its taught at schools (and schools have enough hoops to jump through) they won't be exposed to the message that its OK to feel the way you do, nearly everyone needs help at some point and that it is worth the doctor and councillor's time. Unfortunately lad's mags such as Loaded, FHM, etc are unlikely to feature Mental health articles inbetween Elisha Cuthbert's comely breasts. since teenage girls often buy magazines which feature editorials about depression, self-harm, self help and other health matters, educating women, or even making them aware of the issues is less problematic and complex.
Sorry to ramble on at such length. Just my late night, caffiene induced musings.
Regards, Zoe xxx

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About

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Liz Spikol is senior contributing editor of Philadelphia Weekly. She writes the award-winning column The Trouble With Spikol, which began as a chronicle of her struggle with mental illness, and has since expanded into humorous musings on everything from graphic novels to how to use a mop. She also writes the paper's book review column, Lit Gloss. This blog -- named one of the Top 10 Bipolar Blogs of 2007 by PsychCentral -- is about mental illness policy, news, personal journeys and more.