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HALLOWELL — Maine’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness has launched two new programs aimed at men and law enforcement.
Mantherapy, a web-based mental health resource platform for men in Maine, is designed for men who align themselves with traditional roles of masculinity, who may be reluctant to seek help for or who struggle with articulating mental health concerns. Through a series of testimonials, quizzes, and questionnaires, Mantherapy directs men towards mental health resources in Maine and beyond.
NAMI Maine also recently received funding to support the mental health of the law enforcement community. Cigna Foundation Healthier Communities Grant provides $55,260 for the Law Enforcement Assistance Resiliency Network program.
Through the LEARN with ME program NAMI Maine will train officers to provide mental health support to their peers, strengthening NAMI’s Statewide Law Enforcement Peer Support Team. Confidential support will be available to officers, including retired ones.
Maine’s suicide rate has climbed above both the national and New England averages, and men account for 78% of those who die by suicide in Maine. Four of the five professions with the highest national rate of suicide for males are also the most common occupations in the state of Maine, including construction, maintenance and repair, transportation, and agricultural fields such as farming, fishing, and forestry.
“Men often feel that seeking help for mental health concerns is a sign of weakness. They often suffer in silence,” said Randall Liberty, commissioner of the Department of Corrections. “I have seen this often with fellow veterans. They have been taught that ‘real’ men don’t speak of feelings. There is no dishonor in seeking help. You are not alone; many endure similar burdens.”
In 2017 alone, Maine lost 48 veterans to deaths by suicide, more than double the national average, and the majority of whom were male. Mantherapy includes many resources geared towards veterans, service members, and first responders.
Law enforcement officers are more likely to die by suicide than any other the line of duty, said Jenna Mehnert, MAMI Maine CEO. “Our first responders are frequently exposed to trauma in the field, which can lead to PTSD, substance use and depression. It is vital to have healthy ways to process that trauma,” she said.
Congressman Jared Golden, a veteran, said, “It’s clear we need new strategies to address men’s mental health in Maine, particularly among our veterans, service members, and first responders. Some of the guys I served with didn’t get the help they needed when they got home, in part because they weren’t sure where to go in the first place.”
For information on NAME Maine programs, visit www.namimaine.org/officerwellness.
