It’s time to ‘Man Up’ and save lives now – that’s the message of a new three-part documentary series that started screening on the ABC this week as part of Mental Health Week.
Hosted by radio personality Gus Worland, ‘Man Up’ is designed to kick start a national conversation about male suicide in Australia.
The series follows Worland as he travels around the country, meeting with mental health experts and community groups as well as men who have attempted suicide and the family members left behind.
His aim? To get men to open up about their feelings and the social issues that stop them asking for help.
It’s a personal quest for the Triple M breakfast host – in 2006, his best friend Angus Roberts committed suicide at the age of 53.
“He was a hero to me. This awesome, untouchable, always positive guy. The kind of guy you went to for answers,” he says.
Tackling an important issue
In one of the series’ tougher moments, Worland visits a Lifeline call centre, where he sees first-hand a counsellor talking to someone who has taken an overdose and then disappears off the line, an experience that has now led him to train as a counsellor.
Backed by the Movember Foundation, the idea for the series came from Professor Jane Pirkis, the director of the Centre for Mental Health at the University of Melbourne.
The show is also running a social media campaign through manup.org.au that will be studied to help researchers find ways to reach out to men, making it well worth a look.
The next episode screens on Tuesday October 18 at 8.30 pm on the ABC and iview.
You can see the trailer here.
Sign up to support Movember here.
If you or someone you know needs help, there are services available:
Lifeline 13 11 44
MensLine 1300 789 978
Beyondblue 1300 224 636
