On the mend : a campaign to fix the depression treatment gap in young male adults in Singapore

Abstract

On The Mend is an communications campaign that aims to encourage young male adults to seek help for depression.

Due to masculine norms, men tend to subscribe to help-seeking stigma and perceive seeking help for depression as a weak and feminine behavior. In turn, this causes them to hold negative attitudes towards seeking help and be less prone to seek help for depression. While females seek help for their depression, males tend to "self-medicate" through abusing drugs and alcohol.

Furthermore, depression is the most prevalent mental illness in Singapore with 18 - 34 years old adults with the highest risk of experiencing it. With this in mind, On The Mend aims to build a supportive environment where men do not see seeking help as a weak behaviour and feel comfortable seeking help for depression.