The Rhode Island Department of Health is launching Man Therapy, a national campaign aimed at getting working-age men to take their mental health seriously, running through April online, on social media and on gas station ad screens.
The campaign centers on a website, mantherapy.org, with resources on depression, divorce and suicide for men and the people around them. Rhode Island–specific resources are listed under the “Get Support Close to Home” tab. Visitors are greeted by Dr. Rich Mahogany, a fictional therapist whose blunt style is meant to cut through the idea that needing help is a weakness.
“This site and this new campaign are a way for people to learn more about men’s mental health, examine their own challenges, and consider steps that can put them on the path to treatment and recovery,” said Director of Health Jerry Larkin.
The department’s suicide prevention work focuses on men ages 25 to 64. From 2020 through 2024, the suicide rate among Rhode Island men was nearly twice the rate for the state’s population overall, averaging 79 deaths a year. In 61 percent of cases involving men in that age range, a current mental health problem was known at the time of death. In a 2024 state survey, 10.9 percent of men said they usually or always feel lonely.
Man Therapy follows the state’s “You Good, Man?” campaign, which encouraged men to check in on friends and colleagues. The department has also received a federal grant for youth suicide prevention covering Rhode Islanders up to age 24.
Local resources, trainings and data are at preventsuicideri.org.
If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day by call or text.
