For years, Jeff Jackson, 36, struggled with mental health.
But after several failed attempts at getting help, he found comfort in talking about his experiences with men facing similar issues.
“It was life-changing for me,” Jackson said.
In November, he and his wife, Brandi Pugh, established the westside-based nonprofit BRAVEE — pronounced brave. The peer-based mental health organization provides free group counseling and mental health workshops for men.
BRAVEE’s goal is to break the barriers some men put up when it comes to acknowledging they are experiencing mental health issues and encouraging them to seek medical help when necessary.
“I want men to be able to get to know each other and know that there’s other people that struggle with the same thing that they could be struggling with,” Jackson said.
Firsthand experience
Researchers have found that men are far less likely to seek help for mental health issues than women. Many are reluctant to talk about their problems because of stigmas attached to seeking treatment. And for some men, seeking out help can seem “unmanly” or feel like a sign of personal weakness.
As a result, their issues often go untreated, which can lead to unhealthy substance use or even suicide, especially among people of color.
Jackson knows firsthand how difficult it can be for some men to admit they need help.
Jackson began experiencing panic attacks, anxiety attacks and agoraphobia in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The issues seemingly came out of nowhere, and led to him being housebound for two years.
“I didn’t know how to deal with it,” he said. “I thought I was having heart attacks. I thought I was dying, and when I went to the hospital they did all this blood work and tests and they said it’s all psychological.”
Seeking treatment
At first, Jackson sought to beat his problems alone. Then he tried hypnosis and meditation. When that didn’t help, he sought out help from psychiatrists.
Jackson’s first experience was with a psychiatrist who was a woman, but he felt awkward telling her his problems. At home, he didn’t feel comfortable sharing his problems with his wife.
“It was hard for me,” Jackson said. “I felt like men shouldn’t show feelings. You’re a provider. You’re supposed to be this other way … When you go places, people don’t expect a man to be, like, ‘Hey, I need help.’”
Eventually, Jackson found a male psychiatrist and found that he felt more comfortable speaking to someone he believed understood where he was coming from, especially the barriers men like him felt they had to break down in order to begin getting help.
“And then when I sat there and thought about it, I was, like, ‘Man, we need a program like this.’”
Research backs up Jackson’s conclusion.
One University of Michigan study found peer support worked better at reducing depressive symptoms than individual care, because it decreases the feeling of isolation and the impact of stressors while increasing the sharing of health information and providing positive role modeling.
A University of New Mexico-Albuquerque study found that participants in peer- and counselor-led groups reported fewer PTSD symptoms and better mental health overall, craved drugs and alcohol less and had better coping skills.
Helping others
Jackson began trying to help men around him talk about their problems.
He began by talking with his neighbor, Austin Garnett, 34, who suffered mental and physical abuse as a child and grew up in a difficult household. Garnett said he knew he was gay from a young age but felt he had to hide who he really was.
“I didn’t like myself. I didn’t really know who I was, because I was like, I felt like I was trying to fit into all these different stereotypes and identities,” he said.
Garnett and Jackson struck up a friendship. Over time, Garnett found he felt better the more he talked about his life and his true self.
“He made me feel comfortable. I feel like the more you talk about it, and the more you come like, you know, face the truth, the easier it is for you to kind of come to grips with yourself,” Garnett said.
Jackson was also able to help another neighbor, Army veteran Bill McCreary.
McCreary, 70, grew up in South Bend, and like Garnett, he had a tough childhood that he felt contributed to making unhealthy decisions.
“When we were growing up, you didn’t talk about things like this. Whatever was on your mind, deal with it or just too damn bad,” McCreary said.
He said life could have been easier if he knew to talk about his problems, a strategy that Jackson helped him discover.
Founding BRAVEE
In November, Jackson and his wife decided to officially incorporate their nonprofit. Jackson runs BRAVEE full time as CEO, and Pugh, a supervisor at Healthy Families Indiana, serves as program director.
The organization is supported by donations from businesses and from the public, which they have used to hire new staff that can help liaise with their clients’ family and and specialized help for veterans seeking help.
Jackson said his ultimate goal is to make it OK for any men who feel they aren’t allowed to seek help to stop suffering in silence.
“When it comes to mental health, you can’t just guess what you’re dealing with,” Jackson said. “Everybody is going to be on their own unique journey, but we’re going to be on the same road together.”
Getting BRAVEE
To sign up for services or to learn more about the counseling services, head to BRAVEE’s contact page, send an email or call 317-588-2475. BRAVEE is also available through Indiana’s 211 service.
For more information about BRAVEE, head to its website.
Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz covers west Indianapolis. Contact him at 317-983-4203 or enrique.saenz@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on Bluesky at @enriquesaenz.bsky.social.
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