Why are so many men treating me like I’m their personal therapist?

I had a guy from my old hometown reach out to me today and message me this long ass paragraph about how he was feeling really down and out and like he wanted to end it all. I have no idea why he messaged me this - I literally had no idea he was feeling this bad and I hadn’t spoken to him in years. Like, I’m no therapist, I can’t even help myself half the time. I’m just a person, you know? <br><br>I told him he needed to call a crisis hotline or something and he was like no I don’t need that, I just need someone to talk to. <br><br>I was like… dude, I’m sorry but I am not equipped to be that person. I’m no therapist. I’m so sorry you’re feeling this way - please get the help you need. <br><br>He ended up calling a crisis hotline and getting that help, but the whole interaction left a bad taste in my mouth. <br><br>This has happened to me so many times before and I just don’t get it. I get that this pandemic has really taken a toll on people’s mental health, but this isn’t the first time I’ve had a man reach out to me blindly and tell me all their deepest darkest secrets and expect me to respond in a therapeutic manner. <br><br>And it’s always men. Always. I’ve never had a woman reach out to me like this. I’ve never reached out to anyone like this. What is it about men that they feel like they can just dump all their emotional trauma on random people (most of the time women) and expect them to be ok with that? <br><br>It’s so draining. I’m so sick of this.