Kristy Hajjar joined with supporters at the North Wollongong Hotel on Sunday afternoon to launch the  #talk2mebro initiative which will include mentoring programs for young men. 

Ms Hajjar said with suicide the leading cause of death for Australian men between 15 and 44, it was time to stop men “suffering in silence”.

“My husband Matt had depression and PTSD and he suffered with that for a long time,” she said. 

“While he was a confidante for many of his mates and had a way of getting others to open up, he had this amazing armour that he hid behind every single day. 

“Behind that mask he had his own struggles and demons and on January 27 he lost the fight against those demons and took his own life.”

Ms Hajjar hopes the campaign will stop the stigma around suicide and help men start a conversation with their mates, which could lead them to seeking the help they need.

She said according to Mindframe, rates of suicide were generally three to four times higher among males than females. However, she said, research also showed that three out of four men did not access help for their anxiety and depression.

“If you ask men if they’re alright, it’s easy for them to shut the conversation down and say ‘I’m fine’,” Ms Hajjar, who has undertaken Mindframe training, said. 

“’Talk to me bro’ is an open-ended question – they can’t just say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ – they know that their mate is saying ‘I’m here mate, I’m all ears, I’ve got your back’.

“Because while men always have each other’s back on the footy field for instance, they don’t always have their back when it comes to their mental health.

“We want to encourage men to open up and empower them to take control of their mental health, the same way they do with their physical health.”

Illawarra mentors have been chosen to work with young men at risk during group or one-on-one sessions. Organisers are hoping to find more mentors, and sponsors, for the program.

One of the mentors, Josh Davey, was Matt’s best friend – yet had no idea he was struggling. “We talked about a lot of different things, but there was one thing he held back,” he said. “The main reason I’m doing this is to be able to tell men it’s alright to talk, we’re here for one another and there’s nothing we can say to each other.”

Mr Davey hoped other men – who had trained in the area of mental health – would consider becoming a mentor. “I’m just a guy who had his best friend pass away who will do anything he can to help and not have anyone go through the same thing – because it’s not the answer.”

#talk2mebro is a registered charity – to help out or get more details contact info@talk2mebro.org.au