I just stumbled on this...

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https://www.apa.org/about/policy/boys-men-practice-guidelines.pdf

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...which is a new set of guidelines from the American Psychological Association recognizing that men, no less than women and the LGBTQetc, have their own needs. We are no longer simply the baseline group from which all else is specialized. It recognizes the greater suicide rate among men, the drop in academic achievement among young men, the difficulty men often have in connecting and dealing with stress, and similar issues.

I thought, for a brief, glorious moment, that this was a step in the right direction.

Wow, was I wrong. "Oppression" and "privilege" are on the definitions page, and just for example, Guideline Three states that helping men recognize their power and privilege (which evidently we don't usually do) will enable them to be be better allies (presumably of women), and thus less oppressive. There is a great deal of this.

It must be said that it does have guidelines supporting male-responsive educational approaches, encouraging father-involvement, suicide and violence prevention, and understanding of male-specific social problems. However the overall impression I get is that is that this is not so much about helping men with their problems as it is about getting men to stop being a problem for everyone else. It is a medicalized version of man-up-and-be-useful.

What is fascinating is that this document recognizes all these male specific problems, including early death, a much higher suicide rate, and greater difficulty dealing with mental health issues like depression. It recognizes that this has been entirely unaddressed by the profession. And simultaneously it advances the concept of men being the privileged sex. This is literally doublethink, it is the matrix in action.

If you need help, get help. Reach out to someone, to anyone, to suicide prevention if that's the place you're in. No man is an island, and whatever you are facing, there are some amazing resources that are yours for a mouseclick - this place is one of the best. A psychiatrist's office may be too, there are some awesome ones out there. However the only problems that should count to a psychiatrist are the problems you have. If it starts to feel like you are the problem, walk out.

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