1 IN 5 AUSTRALIANS ARE AFFECTED BY MENTAL ILLNESS, YET MANY DON’T SEEK HELP BECAUSE OF STIGMA.
WE CAN ALL DO SOMETHING TO HELP SHED A MORE POSITIVE LIGHT ON MENTAL HEALTH.
According to the last National Survey of mental health and wellbeing:
- Men are more than twice as likely as women to have experienced substance use disorders (7.0% compared with 3.3%)
- Men are more likely to experience mental disorders in all three categories (e.g. having anxiety, depression and alcohol abuse) than women (0.8% compared with 0.6%)
What do these statistics tell you about men’s mental health? It is time for us to re-think our fundamental approach to the tragedy of suicide, and to pursue a bold and determined new course of action. The "situational approach to suicide prevention" is exactly that.
Australian Men's Health Forum has come up with 10 conversation topics to help get people talking about men’s mental health.They open with a statement or question about men’s health, with some background information to help you take the conversation a little deeper. Read more here.