Real strength starts when you stop carrying it alone.
Understanding the Challenges Men Face
Men don't always talk about what's going on.
Sometimes we push through. Sometimes we keep things to ourselves. And sometimes we wait until something has become much harder to manage before we ask for support.
The numbers help show just how common that can be.
KEY STATISTICS
- 43% of Australian men will experience anxiety or depression at some stage in their lives.
Source: Beyond Blue — current published statistic, last checked August 2026 - 26% of Australian men admit delaying seeing their GP for help when they needed it.
Source: Beyond Blue — current published statistic, last checked August 2026 - 76.5% of people who died by suicide in Australia in 2024 were male.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics — 2024 - Suicide was the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15–44 in 2024.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics — 2024
BEHIND THE STATISTICS
Statistics can tell us how widespread a problem is.
They don't always show what it looks like in someone's everyday life.
It might be constantly overthinking things.
Feeling more irritable than you used to.
Losing interest in things you once enjoyed.
Struggling to switch off at night.
Feeling disconnected from the people around you.
Keeping something to yourself because you don't know how to explain it — or because you've convinced yourself you should be able to handle it alone.
For some men, asking for support comes naturally.
For others, it can take a long time.
There may be uncertainty about what counselling involves, concern about being judged, or simply years of being used to dealing with things privately.
But needing somewhere to talk doesn't make what you're going through unusual.
And you don't need to wait until things have reached breaking point before having that conversation.
Sometimes recognising that something isn't right is enough reason to start talking.
Statistics are based on information published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Beyond Blue and were checked in August 2026. Statistics may be updated as new data becomes available. ABS 2024 suicide data referenced on this page is preliminary and may be revised as coronial investigations are completed.