Leaders and veterans urge openness on loneliness and mental health at Columbus Metropolitan Club forum

Columbus — At a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum, civic and veteran leaders urged greater openness about mental health and loneliness and pressed organizations to make seeking support an accepted, visible practice. Sophia Pittner, president and CEO of the Columbus Metropolitan Club, said she published an essay to help people who feel isolated: "I was so good at showing up, nobody knew I was disappearing," she told the audience.

The discussion focused on how high-responsibility roles and cultural expectations can make it harder for people to ask for help. Retired U.S. Army Colonel Bill Butler, president of the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, described how the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal and the deaths of soldiers he served with resurfaced long-suppressed grief and sharpened his focus on veteran suicide. Citing an example from his command, Butler recounted bringing an informal, highly respected squad leader before a battalion to share that he had sought mental-health counseling; Butler said that public example helped reduce stigma and prompted others to seek care.

"One of the most effective things you can do to empower people to seek help is actually sharing your stories," said Dr. John Ackerman, clinical manager for the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Ackerman also noted a gap between need and help-seeking: "about two-thirds of us indicate a real need for support, only about a third reach out for support," he said, citing research on helper populations.

Panelists tied those findings to practical steps for institutions and workplaces. They urged leaders to normalize help-seeking by modeling it, clarifying what happens when employees use support services, and proactively following up rather than simply listing resources in a brochure. Pittner emphasized investing in "third spaces" — civic places such as clubs, libraries and parks — as part of treating social connection like civic infrastructure.

Audience members asked specific questions about institutional best practices, pandemic-driven isolation and workplace models. Panelists recommended intentional relationship-building (calling contacts, deepening a few relationships rather than broad social networks), making support accessible and explicitly protecting people from formal or informal penalties for seeking help.

Panelists also named concrete resources for anyone in crisis or seeking help: the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation and local programs. Attendees were encouraged to identify supports they could turn to early — before a crisis — including faith-based resources, outdoor activities and formal treatment providers.

The forum closed with a reminder that loneliness and grief have measurable public-health consequences and with practical next steps: leaders sharing their experiences, organizations creating clear help-seeking pathways, and individuals identifying who will "be there" when they need support. Jurist announced the club's next forum and thanked sponsors and partners.

The panel included firsthand testimony (Pittner, Butler) and research-informed guidance (Ackerman); no formal actions or votes were taken at the event.