Men’s mental health is just as important as physical and emotional

This might be hard to read for some of you to read. Trigger warning: suicide, depression, anxiety.

It’s a fact that suicide rates among Australian males are around three times more than Australian females.

That’s a big difference, at Northcote Medical we’re passionate about bringing these rates down.

According to www.beyondblue.org.au 1 in every 8 men will experience depression and as much as 1 in 5 will experience anxiety in their lifetime. That means that most of us will have at LEAST one man in our life who is battling depression or anxiety or both. Or, it may be you.

Staying connected to mates and community is just one crucial factor that positively influences outcomes for men with anxiety or depression. So, what sort of things might we look for if we’re worried a mate (or yourself!) has anxiety or depression?

• Feeling sad, miserable or angry for a big chunk of the time for more than two weeks
• Physical signs such as feeling tired all the time, or changes in weight – gaining or losing!
• Loss of interest in activities that they/you usually enjoy (even just going to the gym, catching up with the mates, or gardening)
• A fear that something terrible is going to happen, that snowballs to the point where it feels like everyday events (like losing the keys or running late for work) are a potential catastrophe
• Stress that is intense, disrupts their/your life and hangs around long after the stressful event has passed.

The thing is, anxiety and depression are very treatable.

The first step is to get in touch with your GP and make an appointment, you can phone us on (03) 9489 6472 or book right here.

We encourage you to have those hard conversations with your mates or loved ones.

Tell them you’re there for them. Ask them if they’re OK. It might feel awkward at first, but that will soon pass and maybe that tough conversation is what saves your mate’s life…

Staying fit, healthy, and well means looking after every aspect of your life, many men tend to not make an appointment to see their GP – perhaps today is the day to change that.