It's not that, it's that pussyfooting around the topic can actually make it worse IMO. The root causes of our mental health epidemic is the way we structure society and the economy. There are fundamental ways that we've set up the world (and everyday things like jobs) that do not jive with our biology or ecology. The solution is systemic change.

Corporations and virtue signaling celebrities have found a comfortable middle ground where they can put the onus on the individual and shirk any need for collective change. "Don't be afraid to speak" or "Take care of yourself, nobody wants to see you go" or "we need to stop the stigma". These are meaningless phrases that do nothing to address the epidemic. It neuters any attempt to get to the issue at it's heart, because the agreed upon solution is now "just get some health insurance and pay hundreds for a therapist, or tens of thousands for inpatient care! The system works great!" That is the spectrum of options we're given when everyone just parrots the accepted "take care of yourself" line.

When you actually suggest systemic solutions, or talk truly honestly about your struggles and what would solve them, all of a sudden people can't make eye contact and they change the conversation real quick.

Yeah I don't mean to jump to conclusions. And I know it borders on being an anecdotal fallacy. But the vast vast majority of video game podcasters and discussions I read on /r/truegaming and /r/patientgamers and /r/games point to a whole lot of gamers having mental health issues, anxiety and depression.

Being a gamer myself, I don't know if it's causal or if people who already have those issues gravitate towards games. But I have a gut feeling there's a link.

I think that's an indictment on every day life for not even being remotely engaging for most people.