The Threads of Change podcast for October 2025 deals with mental health issues and the challenges they can bring. Lee Stuart, founder of Rogue Lab, tells the story of his experiences with mental health and how he has figured out ways to triumph despite the challenges he’s faced.

Most of us probably know someone who is dealing with a mental health challenge, but we don’t always know how to offer support or acceptance in a way that is helpful. Here are some tips on ways to offer meaningful support.

Meaningful Mental Health Support

First, don’t judge. Mental illness has a lot of stigmas attached to it. That’s why many people are less than open about the challenges they face. Particularly for men, as discussed in the podcast, there can be a lot of judgment and shame around admitting to mental health issues. For anyone handling a mental health challenge, there can be fear of being deemed unemployable, seeming like too much work for a romantic partner, or being judged for limits or needs their mental health challenge creates.

If you know someone with a mental health issue, be accepting. Meet them where they are, and don’t make judgments about how they “should” be.

Second, educate yourself. Part of the burden of having a mental illness is having to explain it, both what the illness might be and the challenges it brings, over and over again. To ease the burden on those around you who are dealing with mental health challenges, do some research on your own. An hour of reading can help you understand what others are going through without putting the burden on them to explain.

Often, this research will also give you specific tips on how to offer support in a particular situation, which again, removes the burden of having to explain their needs and wants off the person with the condition.

Third, allow people to share as much, or as little, as they prefer. Often, when trying to understand someone’s situation, we want to ask a lot of questions. Some of it is a genuine wish to understand, some of it is curiosity; sometimes it’s a desire to get some good gossip.

Every person has a different comfort level with sharing their story and the details of their situation. Respect the comfort level of the person you’re dealing with and don’t push for more detail than they’re willing to give. As was noted earlier, mental health issues can be stigmatizing, and some people who have had bad experiences in the past may not be willing to share much about their situation. Respect that.

Fourth, respect their boundaries and their limits. Some mental health issues cause people to act in certain ways or require them to avoid certain situations. People with mental health challenges may go about things or act in ways that are outside what might be considered normal. The biggest help that can be offered in these types of situations is to accept and respect the boundaries and limits that are set.

The person managing their mental health issues has put a lot of thought and effort into doing so in the best way possible. Respect their knowledge of themselves and the challenges they face and work within the boundaries they set.

Fifth, don’t minimize their experiences. Often, when someone says they’re depressed, the response that comes back is, “You’re just having a bad day. You’ll feel better tomorrow.” Someone who suffers from severe panic attacks may be told they need to meditate or do yoga or just “relax more.” Before you make these sorts of recommendations, keep in mind you don’t know what the person in question is facing — you haven’t had their experiences.

Remember that with some mental illness challenges, they may not cause you to break out in a rash or display a physical illness. You wouldn’t tell someone with cancer they need to meditate, and you wouldn’t tell someone with a broken leg to, “Walk it off. You’ll feel better tomorrow.” Treat mental illness the same way you would physical illness: with sympathy, kindness, and acceptance of whatever limitations the illness brings.

Sixth, if you really want to support someone who is dealing with mental illness, listen. Not only listen to their stories about their experiences but also listen to them when they tell you what they want and need or how you can best help them. A person who is dealing with a mental health challenge is still a person, and not all people with depression or agoraphobia or anxiety need the same things or want to be treated the same way.

Often, the stories they share may be uncomfortable to hear, but you can listen to them anyway. Sometimes the way the person wants to be treated or what they say they need isn’t how you would want to be treated or what you would need in the same situation, but try to listen and treat them in the manner they ask anyway.

Bonus Mental Health Tip

Finally, a bonus tip: Celebrate the bravery of those who do share their stories. Being open about mental health issues is not an easy thing. People who do so can face judgment and rejection. The more accepting and respectful we are of those who do make their stories public, the more we encourage others to do the same, some of whom may not have reached out for help before for fear of being judged.

If we all work together, we can create a culture that is accepting and supportive of those with mental health challenges, which will encourage those who need help and support to get what they need.