Every day, six Australian men die by suicide, devastating families, friends, and communities. The Australian Psychological Society (APS) warns that without urgent government action to address the critical shortage of psychologists, this tragic toll will only rise.
"The message is clear," says APS President Dr Sara Quinn.
"Too many men are suffering and this will continue unless our mental health system is given the lifeline it so desperately needs.
"Shockingly, men account for approximately 75% of all suicide deaths in Australia.
"This is a crisis that demands fresh and bold policy action and targeted intervention to save lives," Dr Quinn added.
Dr Quinn said bolstering the psychology workforce was critical to turning the tide on male suicide.
"Our government must act immediately to implement reforms to support our psychology workforce to be equipped to deliver life-saving mental health care.
"We need more qualified psychologists and urge the government to fund initiatives to support effective mental health services across the country."
Taking action to support the complexities of men's mental health, the APS has joined forces with Movember ahead of Men's Mental Health week (9 – 15 June) to deliver Men in Mind, a world-first, eLearning professional development activity targeted at psychologists and other mental health professionals.
The self-paced program covers topics including strengths-based strategies to motivate men in therapy, screening tools for male-type depression and the role of masculinities in male suicidality.
Clinical Psychologist and Global Director of Research at Movember Dr Zac Seidler said the way in which men experience and express distress can differ from what we expect, presenting challenges in therapy.
"In order to have the best outcomes, we need to provide men with therapy that meets them where they're at, not where we wish they were.
"Men in Mind helps mental health practitioners to understand and connect to men's distress and deliver appropriate support to promote positive change for male clients", Dr Seidler said.
Dr Quinn said the APS will continue to support education initiatives and advocacy efforts to arrest the alarming statistics, however, a coordinated effort is needed to generate real change.
"We call on the government to recognise the deep flaws in our mental health system and respond with haste to address the devastating male suicide rates in Australia."
