Beyond Blue chief executive Georgie Harman said the rise in suicide rates over the years in Australia was alarming.
In Seymour, the Men’s Shed is on the front line of men’s mental health upkeep.
“We’re a place where men can come and gather, talk to each other about problems, do something that they want to do,” Seymour Men’s Shed president Ken Butcher said.
“The men’s shed mostly has retirees, but people of all ages come and go.
“You can be 16 or six or 60. There’s no age limit.
“Even young teenagers who are having some problems, we wouldn’t mind taking them in and helping them out.”
Mental health nurse Elizabeth Kruck said it was vital for men, specifically younger ones, to have someone they could trust and that those people knew how to respond to signs of mental illness.
“It’s really important to be able to engage that person in a conversation around what suicidal thoughts mean to them and understanding where to get help,” she said.
Ms Kruck said factors such as occupation, low levels of education, financial stress and isolation were prevalent in Seymour.
“It does speak to an overall higher risk of suicide,” she said.
Research undertaken by Headspace highlighted that two in five people said they preferred to deal with mental health challenges alone.
Ms Kruck said it was a shame there was still a stigma around having conversations about mental health.
“People often worry that if they have a conversation with a young person about suicide, that will put the idea into their head or make them more likely to act on those thoughts,” she said.
“It can be really powerful to intentionally ask someone who seems like (they might be) going through a hard time because that can open up an opportunity for that young person to actually have a conversation and then seek access to appropriate support.”
Seymour Men’s Shed was created around that idea — to offer support to men of all ages.
Mr Butcher said having a hobby such as woodworking filled the void of working full-time and then retiring, only to find there was nothing else to do.
“It just gives you that place to come for comradeship,” he said.
“You don’t have to do anything, just come here and sit and talk.”
Ms Kruck agreed with that sentiment and said connecting with other people in the community, whether online or in person, was essential.
“There’s nothing to say that connecting online is less valuable than connecting in person,” she said.
“The common thing is that feeling of connection.”
• If you are experiencing mental health distress or suicidal thoughts, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back on 1300 659 467.
