Men's Health Week

The week - June 10-16th - marks Men’s Health Week. It is an important week as the gap between Australian men and women’s health outcomes is widening.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, a boy born in 2010 has a life expectancy of 78.0, while a girl born in the same year has a life expectancy of 82.3 years old.

Accidents, cancer, and heart disease are the leading causes of male deaths. The most worrying statistic is that men, on average, account for 6 of the 8 suicides in Australia everyday. The number of men who die by suicide each year is double the national road toll. Sadly, men over 85 are at the highest risk of suicide followed by those aged between 30 and 49.

Services like Beyond Blue encourage us to remember everybody’s mental health will vary during our lifetime and that help is available to effectively manage your mental well-being. Remembering that you don’t need to go it alone is a key message - speak to your GP, partner, mates or colleagues if you need to talk. GP’s can help you find the right services to support you. There is no shame in asking for help, in fact it’s the best thing you can do for yourself.

Events like Men’s Health Week are encouraging men to be more proactive when it comes to their health. While it is good that men will often visit their GP after a friend or relative has a health emergency, we are encouraging men to make a visit to their GP a regular occurrence.

If you need to speak to someone urgently, Lifeline is available at any time on 13 11 14.

For more information about Men’s Health Week please visit www.menshealthweek.org.au . For more information about managing your mental health visit Beyond Blue

Sources: ABC, Beyond Blue, Men’s Health Week.