headspace Fathers Campaign

87 per cent of young men with mental health issues do not seek out help

Friday April 22, 2016

Fathers and sons of Australia, it’s time to talk.

The stigma surrounding men, young and old, opening up about their struggles with mental illness is a nation-wide problem.

With the forthcoming ANZAC Day remembrance looming, it’s a timely reminder that previous generations of Australian men often had nowhere to turn to talk about their worries.

This is not the case in 2016.

headspace is proud to launch a striking new national campaign aimed at assisting fathers to support their sons through mental health challenges.

The campaign focus is to help open up the mental health conversation between those fathers and sons who may not know how to start it.

headspace CEO Chris Tanti said a lot of things go unsaid between young men and their dads, especially when it comes to mental health.

“In past generations men were sometimes reluctant to open up about mental health issues,” he said.

“Fathers can play a vital role in identifying the early signs of mental illness and helping their sons get the support they need but many men are unsure how to start the conversation or what services are available.”

“Studies have shown that only 13 per cent of young men with mental health issues seek out professional help. It’s time that we changed this.”

This statistic is backed up by the fact that young men are accessing headspace at a lower rate than women. In 2014/15, 61 per cent of those accessing headspace centres were female, while 38 per cent were male (1 per cent identified as other).

headspace provides face-to-face support at its more than 90 centres across Australia as well as online and telephone information and support to young people and their family and friends.

The headspace website also provides fathers with tips about how to approach important conversations with their son and how to be proactive in supporting their son’s mental health.

If you are having a tough time contact headspace on 1800 650 890 or www.eheadspace.org.au.

Media contact: Michael Bennett, headspace Senior Corporate Communications Adviser Mob 0413 025 385