Suicide does not discriminate. Just ask Clint Malarchuk, former National Hockey League goaltender, who struggled not only with suicide, but also depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). As June is Men’s Health Month, Malarchuk continues to share his personal story with other men and encourages them to speak up and take control of their mental health.
“I believe that I survived to prevent somebody else from making the same mistake I did and what I tell them is this: reach out and get help,” says Malarchuk, who suffered a near fatal injury while playing for the Buffalo Sabres in 1989.
The former goal tender has teamed up with HealthyMenMichigan.org and Jodi Jacobson Frey, PhD, MSW, associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, in a statewide campaign designed to engage working-aged Michigan men in online screening for suicide and depression and to encourage help-seeking behaviors and referral to treatment. Frey is the principal investigator for this research study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).