"IT TAKES A TEAM TO REBUILD A BROKEN MAN..."
In Dr. Mondragon's TEDx talk, he contends that men in tough guy environments – military, first responders, athletes – struggle to identify, express and share their feelings.
Until they seek professional help and learn to connect on a deep level with other men, they will continue to seek out high-risk activities, self-medicate with drugs and alcohol, struggle in silence with mental illness, and die by suicide in alarming numbers.
He describes the circumstances that led to his depression and path to recovery. Dr. Skip Mondragon is a U.S. Army Colonel who spent 18 months in combat zones. As a national wrestling champion and Army physician for twenty-five years, he was the epitome of a tough guy. Yet, he was beat up, beaten down, and broken by depression.
He is on a mission to help tough guys struggling with depression, fight the stigma of mental illness, and save men from suicide.