Men & Mood

Men and Mood is a program designed for gay, bisexual, and other men who are into men who may be feeling distressed and looking for help.

Welcome. We’re glad you’ve found us.

How to complete the program

Men and Mood is organized into eight modules. The modules should be completed in order. We suggest you complete one module each week and apply what you learn before moving onto the next module. Each module will present new tools to help you address the issues in your life that are causing you distress and will help bring you one step closer to where you want to be.

Reading through the program will not be enough on its own for you to see positive change in your life. The program requires active engagement. How successful you are will depend on how much effort and time you put in. Don’t rush through the program. After completing a module, you may feel tempted to move immediately to the next. However, moving too quickly will diminish what you learn and limit your ability to bring about meaningful change. Take the time to learn and apply the skills the program has to offer you. There are no “quick fixes” but the skills you learn here will help you meet and overcome different challenges in your life. If you put in the effort and have the motivation for change, then this program will help you make the positive changes you want to see.

Self-assessment

Before starting Men and Mood, we suggest you complete the following self-assessments of your mood. Answer the questions honestly; there are no right and wrong answers. This is intended to provide you with a baseline score of your mood. Record your scores so you can make comparisons over time. Your responses are not saved in a database; however, they may be stored on your computer’s cache. If you are using a computer that other people have access to, be sure to reset the assessment once you have completed it to clear your responses.

Note that these self-assessments are intended for your own use only. Responses are not monitored by healthcare professionals. If you need immediate help, call 9-1-1 or your local distress/crisis line, or visit the emergency department at your local hospital.

Modules

Now let’s begin.

Re-check

Once you have completed Men and Mood, we suggest you retake the self-assessments you completed at the start. Remember, answer the questions honestly; there are no right and wrong answers. Compare your scores to those when you started the program to see if there have been any changes to your mood since working through this program. Remember, your responses are not saved in a database; however, they may be stored on your computer’s cache. If you are using a computer that other people have access to, be sure to reset the assessment once you have completed it to clear your responses. Note that these self-assessments are intended for your own use only. Responses are not monitored by healthcare professionals. If you need immediate help, call 9-1-1 or your local distress/crisis line, or visit the emergency department at your local hospital.

If you have not seen the changes you are hoping for by completing this program, consider seeking additional help from a mental health specialist, such as a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist, or from your family doctor. Change takes time and it takes practice. There will be ups and downs and potential setbacks but keep your eye on your overall progress. We hope you have benefited from Men and Mood.

About Men and Mood

Subject matter experts

Nicholas Laird, MD, Resident, Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry

Paul MacPherson, MD, PhD, FRCPC, Associate Professor and Research Chair in Gay Men’s Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa

Instructional designer

Emma J. Stodel, PhD, Learning 4 Excellence

Module production

Pete Richardson, clever gecko consulting

HUGO logo design

Chris Hnain, (former) Research Assistant, The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Funding

AIDS Bureau Funding Program, Provincial Programs Branch, Ministry of Health, Ontario