Bradley University's Student Newspaper

While mental health is a topic that Bradley has worked to promote through its many organizations, one recent event tackled the subject with a moderate focus on a specific perspective — how mental health affects men.

This past Wednesday, Bradley’s chapter of the Active Minds organization hosted speaker David Romano for an hour-long seminar in the Marty Theatre, which saw him discussing the importance of mental health, especially as it applies to men, and sharing his personal and ongoing experiences with depression.

Romano is a therapist and affiliate of the Active Minds organization who has been working as a mental health advocate since the age of 18. In sharing his story, he discussed stigmas around men’s mental health, such as suppressing emotions or obsessing over appearing strong, which had resurfaced repeatedly in his life.

Romano cited his upbringing as integral to how he perceived his mental health, as his father taught him not to show weakness or ask for help. As a result, he said he was less equipped to deal with the early symptoms of depression that he began having.

During middle and high school, Romano pursued extracurriculars, believing that perfectionism was the solution in defeating his negative feelings. However, the pressure he felt of never being good enough led him to spiral, culminating in him attempting suicide.

Afterwards, Romano’s high school eventually took note of his situation. He credited his counselor’s vow to help him with making him feel safe for the first time in a long time. He also credited seeing his father cry for the first time during the process with learning what it truly means to be a man.

“That’s when I realized what it meant to be strong; that’s when I realized what it meant to be resilient,” Romano said. “Putting yourself out there, being vulnerable [and] asking for help is one of the hardest things that you can do.”

Romano began college believing that he had defeated his depression, but began struggling and turned to unhealthy outlets again. He admitted in his early advocate work to packaging his struggle with depression as a success story, he took this moment to iterate that his mental health journey is still ongoing.

Romano’s story concluded with applause from the attendees, after which he took time to answer questions.

One student asked how someone can engage in self-care when they feel undeserving of it, to which Romano advised making a distinction between what someone may want and need for their mental health. According to him, while negative feelings naturally want to continue, forming initial steps towards proactive solutions is healthier, even if one doesn’t have the energy or motivation.

When asked how to approach a friend that may be struggling, Romano offered several strategies: share small invitations to be vulnerable, lead by example through sharing your own situation and don’t engage with them exclusively about their struggles, as there are many things they may be interested in.

“People that are experiencing depression or anxiety or just struggling with their mental health, they’re still [humans] that [have] fun and [have] a personality, so we don’t want to fragilize the topic,” Romano said.

On the subject of reaching out for help, another student prompted Romano to speak on the feeling some people have that they can only do so if they’re in crisis. To this, he used the metaphor of filling a car’s gas tank, noting that the ideal time most people refill is when a tank is approaching emptiness and not already empty.

In a similar sense, he said that looking after your mental health works best in anticipation rather than reaction, as waiting for one’s situation to be more intense can make the road to recovery more difficult.

“I can’t sit here and say it’s not hard at times, but … I think that vulnerability is such a sign of strength,” Romano said.

For more information on Bradley’s Active Minds chapter, check out its Instagram page or send an email to activeminds.bradleyu@gmail.com . Its next event, titled “Painting Pots,” is scheduled for March 25.

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Bradley University's Student Newspaper