Nearly half of Teladoc's virtual behavioral health visits so far this year have been with men between the ages of 20 and 35 — a group that has historically faced heightened stigma surrounding mental health — according to CNBC.
Overwhelmed with stereotypes about not sharing their emotions and phrases such as "man up," young men often forgo treatment for mental health issues. According to the CDC, nearly 9 percent of men said they experienced daily feelings of anxiety or depression but less than half of them took medication or talked to a mental health professional.
To address this population, Teladoc began engaging young men through ads for its behavioral health services on Facebook at double the rate of the group traditionally considered the core target — women with children.
"If young men are willing to use telehealth, it would be a fantastic development for public health," Ken Duckworth, MD, medical director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, told CNBC. "We haven't been able to get them into treatment because of expectations and societal roles that real men don't fill in the blank. That's the thing we're up against. If this is the vehicle they're comfortable with, then that's great."
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