Somewhere safe enough to talk.
A cruel reply under a man’s first honest post does more damage than the post did good. These rules exist to make sure that doesn’t happen here.
The forum and blog are peer support, read by volunteers — not counsellors or clinicians. If you or someone else is in danger, call or text 988 (U.S.), text HOME to 741741, call 911, or find your local line at findahelpline.com.
Do
- Share your own experience. What happened to you, what it cost, what helped. Specific beats generic.
- Thank people for posting. It probably took more than it looks like.
- Ask before you advise. “Do you want ideas, or do you just want it heard?”
- Use humour — men who are struggling still laugh. Just don’t let it become the way nothing ever gets said.
- Report anything that worries you. Reports go straight to moderators.
Don’t
- Diagnose anyone. Not publicly, not privately. “That sounds like it could be worth talking to a doctor about” is fine. “You have depression” is not.
- Describe methods of suicide or self-harm — in any format, for any reason. Posts that do will be removed.
- Tell people to “man up,” including ironically. The irony doesn’t survive a screenshot.
- Romanticise suffering or present addiction, trauma or depression as cool or heroic.
- Sell anything — products, programmes, clinics, coaching, supplements. No affiliate links.
- Share someone else’s story or identifying details without their permission. Never screenshot or repost what someone shared here.
- Present medical advice as fact. Share what worked for you, and point to professionals.
- Pressure anyone to disclose. No one owes this forum their trauma.
How moderation works
Community blog posts are read by a person before they go live. Forum posts publish immediately and are moderated after the fact — fast. If your post contains language suggesting you might be in crisis, you’ll be shown crisis resources before it posts, and moderators will be notified so a person can check in. We may edit posts for safety, hide replies, or remove accounts that repeatedly break these rules.
Anonymity
You can post in the forum anonymously — your display name is replaced with “Anonymous member.” Moderators can still see which account posted, so they can help if someone is at risk. Your email is never shown publicly.
Age
Accounts are for adults 18 and over. Young people are welcome to read everything on the site; for support, please reach 988, Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741), The Trevor Project (1-866-488-7386), or a trusted adult.
The campaign should never say “real men talk.” It says: men deserve somewhere safe enough to talk.