Real Men. Real Depression.
Also: Men and Depression (renamed 2013)
“Real Men. Real Depression.”
NIMH's first national campaign on depression in men, launched April 2003, using TV, radio and print PSAs in which real men (not actors) describe their depression, to make seeking help acceptable for men.
- Years
- 2003
- Reach
- 34M reached as reported“estimated 34 million reached by TV PSAs and 14 million website hits.”
- Country
- United States
- Topic
- Mental health
- Asks people to
- RecognizeSeek help
- Strategy
- Testimonial
- Channel
- Clinical settingPrintRadioTV
- Audience
- AdultsMenMen; Spanish-language version added 2005.
Evidence
ProcessUnknown
Review reports eleven TV PSAs, seven radio PSAs and print ads; estimated 34 million reached by TV PSAs and 14 million website hits. No outcome evaluation found.
Sponsor (who paid)
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIH) Federal government, funder and creator
Credits (who made it)
- Leslie Wiener (documentary producer) Individual, 2003 source
Sources
- NIH news release, 1 April 2003 (via Men's Health Network) sponsor · 2003
- Big boys do cry (HealthDay, April 2003) news · 2003
- Review of men's depression campaigns (Redalyc) reference
Research notes
Renamed 'Men and Depression' in 2013 per review; end year unknown. Credits checked 2026-10-22 against fetched pages: Leslie Wiener (NIH release PDF: 'NIMH and documentary film producer Leslie Wiener developed a series of television, print and radio public service announcements'). Pre-dates platform ad libraries. Reuse terms checked 2026-10-23 by an AI research pass for #47; not yet reviewed by a person.
Record cases/nih-nimh-real-men-real-depression.json, updated 2026-10-23· Link to this campaign