“This facility and these people are leading us into the very best of our future,” Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente said.
By: Matthew Breault
UTICA, N.Y. — In a video released Friday morning, Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente appears with other prominent men from the community to break the stigma around mental health.
“Three out of four suicide deaths in Oneida County are men between the ages of 35 and 65—a devastating statistic that we can no longer ignore,” Picente said. “Too many men suffer quietly, pressured to appear strong and unaffected. This video is about changing that. It’s about showing that real strength lies in facing our struggles, seeking support and lifting each other up.”
“Most men don’t even think about it, we just try to keep going through life, but our minds have got to be healthy in order for us to do everything else,” said DuWayne Engram, a community educator at the YWCA who also appears in the video.
“When one man begins to start talking it changes every other man around him, and so we hope that a lot of men at least consider—most men probably won’t jump into stuff like this, not right away—but we hope men will at least consider ‘How can I get better with my mental health? Who can I talk to? What can I do to get better?'” Engram said.
Watch the full PSA on YouTube via this link.