America faces a growing mental health crisis, and it’s becoming a cultural problem. Caused by the breakdown of traditional values like family and social stability, Americans feel increasingly hopeless. Isolated and desperate, the worst cases may turn to self-harm or lash out at others. 

Dr. Drew Pinsky, a well-known physician and media personality, sat down with journalist Elijah Schaffer to talk about this crisis (and his experience with being censored during the COVID pandemic). In their interview, Dr. Drew offered straightforward, no-nonsense advice on how young people, especially men, can reclaim their lives and rediscover meaning. 

Dr. Drew first pointed out four key elements to turn life around: strong family bonds, good health, food security, and adequate rest. These are foundational basics. Family offers stability, health and food bring energy, and rest restores mind and body. But Dr. Drew doesn’t stop there, he looks at the big picture and adds two more elements for success: 

Find meaning, be of service. These things are critically important. In terms of meaning making, read and read broadly on, particularly, things if you have any weakness in your education, on history and philosophy. You need to understand the great ideas, you need to understand how we got here.

Avoiding loneliness is another key ingredient in the Doctor’s recipe. Strong relationships—nurtured through faith communities, friendships, or family—are the umbrella that shields us from the dark clouds of despair. 

Dr. Drew says it’s essential to tell the difference between clinical mental illness and ordinary human suffering, 

Ordinary misery is good. Lean in. Lean in. Lean into misery. Lean into anxiety. Lean into work. This will set you free. You'll develop resiliency. You'll develop competencies. Do not hide from stress … Lean into to challenges and things will kind of tend to work out.  

Yes, life does have many obstacles. We may feel paralyzed by sadness, grief, and other setbacks. However, pushing back against these doesn't always require medication or a diagnosis. Learning to handle hardship builds resilience, not fragility.

Interestingly, studies show that more white liberals are considered more mentally unstable than white moderates or conservatives. Is this surprising? Take the show ‘Adolescence’ that took the UK up by storm. Brainwashed by extremism, leftists indulge in self-confirming fiction to add fuel to the fire. America needs to watch out for this. This hopelessness is spreading fast, and it’s beginning to affect conservative young people too—shaking their once-solid sense of identity and purpose.

Though many feel disillusioned with the state of America, Dr. Drew’s advice reminds us that “things are not as bad as they seem when you compare the present moment to other moments of history. Personal recovery and renewal are possible.”

For conservative young men seeking direction in a world of contagious frenzy, let Dr. Drew’s advice—rooted in traditional values, self-discipline, and hope—guide your path.