What do men need when they struggle to meet the demands that life makes of them? It could be plucking up the courage to speak to their GP. Seeking talking therapies. Or it could simply be a bit of timeout. This crazy bit of scientific history is about how men were prescribed fun and hard work to feel better.

In the late 19th century, a Physician called Silas Weir Mitchell created the West Cure: an intervention to help deal with anxiety, whereby men were sent out West to engage in vigorous physical activity, and to write about their experiences.

This form of rehabilitation prepared these men for further success in commerce and intellectual pursuits. Men were able to strengthen their nervous systems by engaging in ‘a sturdy contest with nature.’ Physical fitness was promoted, allowing patients to attain manly, muscular builds to look and feel good.

Here are some real life examples of how men were treated for this condition, known as neurasthenia.

Thomas Eakins, an artist and disgraced teacher, needed intervention after being made to feel ostracised by society after a scandal which led to him losing his job. In the summer of 1887 he was sent to a ranch in the Dakota Badlands at the advice of his Physicians, one of which was his friend, Mitchell. Eakins had the time of his life in the Dakotas. Herding cattle, sleeping on the ground, mingling with cowboys and recording his experiences in writing, which he sent to his wife, Susan. When he returned home he was in tip-top physical and mental condition.

Theodore Roosevelt suffered tragedies as his father died when he was young. He fell into depression and drank heavily at college. When he did meet a woman whom he went on to marry, she died in 1883, within hours of his mother also passing. So Roosevelt was sent to the Dakotas by Mitchell for 2 years to herd cattle and work as a sheriff.

After spending his time taking care of business, dealing with thieves and gangs, and learning to tame and ride wild horses, his body and mental condition was transformed. Once he’d returned East, he became a politician, and got stuck into an exercise programme to maintain well-being. He of course went on to become the 26th President of the United States of America. Once in the White House, he even brought in a professional sparring partner to box with.

Mitchell also took his own advice, making time for himself to prevent nervous breakdowns. He made it to camping and fishing expeditions in the Western United States and Canada nearly every year. He saw these trips as a necessary respite from his intellectual pursuits.

It doesn’t have to be herding cattle, but spending 6 months on a ranch playing City Slickers does sound pretty cool. That film was centred around a character called Mitch Robbins. Bored by his mundane life in radio broadcasting, he reached crisis point. Years of life were passing by and he thought he was a failure. So his two friends took him on a vacation out west to drive cattle from New Mexico to Colorado.

Mitch’s friends also had their own life struggles. Phil lost his job and his wife. Ed had a young girlfriend who wanted a baby. These were really relatable characters, with real fears and dilemmas. They deal with a destructive stampede, hunt for stray cows, and deliver a pregnant cow’s calf. The three friends continue to lead the herd across dangerous waters during a violent storm. Baby calf, ‘Norman,’ gets caught in the rapids, and Mitch saves him with a successful lasso. By the end of the drive, they each discover the ‘one thing’ that will make them happy. In Mitch’s case, it’s his family. He also buys Norman and brings him home.

Having not found any evidence linking the storyline of the film to the West Cure, the similarities are striking. The lead character is even called Mitch. Is it just a coincidence that the West Cure was created by Silas Weir Mitchell? Do you know what? It doesn’t matter. Below is a list of websites around the subject of men’s mental health which you may find useful.

Men… go find your one thing. Let’s call your one thing, Norman, and let him bring you home.

https://mentalhealth-uk.org/mens-mental-health/

https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/our-policy-work/reports-and-guides/get-it-off-your-chest-a-report-on-men-s-mental-health/

https://uk.movember.com/mens-health/mental-health

https://www.manhealth.org.uk/

https://andysmanclub.co.uk/