He may not be a real Doctor, but he is a real man.
Dr Brian Ironwood is helping men throughout Australia to take charge of their mental health and improve their wellbeing as the face of beyondblue’s new Man Therapy campaign.
AMSJ’s Andrew David asked Dr Ironwood about his involvement in the campaign. His answers are insightful and clearly demonstrate why he was chosen as the face of Man Therapy.
“It’s common knowledge that only girly men, stand-up comedians and Brittany Spears suffer from depression and anxiety. I’m none of them, so what’s my problem?”
Dr Ironwood, while you look manly, sound manly, and sport a moustache; how can our readers know you’re manly enough? Why should they take advice from you?
Let me put it this way: Men sometimes can’t see the tree for the woods. So I hike into those woods, I find that tree and rip it from the ground with my bare hands. Then I carry it back and in broad, clear daylight, I hold that tree up high for all men to see.
Impressive. Nine out of ten studies show that mining, as an occupation, is manlier than cake decorating and synchronised swimming combined. Surely the manliness of my job would reduce my risk of depression…?
Studies are one thing, but just because you’re surrounded by solid rock, solid machinery, solid food and solid mateship, it doesn’t mean you can’t get rattled upstairs in the brain cave when life throws a few boulders at you.
It’s common knowledge that only girly men, stand-up comedians and Brittany Spears suffer from depression and anxiety. I’m none of them, so what’s my problem?
No matter who you are and how you roll, depression and anxiety can hit hard sometimes regardless if you’re wearing a hardhat or sexy leotard. Sometimes all you need is a light on that hardhat to show you the way.
I fixed the diff on my 1972 Holden Monaro by myself so fixing my brain should be a cinch. Could you direct me to a You Tube clip to get me started?
So you’re a Holden man! There’s nothing wrong with trying to fix your own brain but you’ll need a hand and that’s what I’m here for. Just check out my website and try to spot the callouses on my hard working hands. www.mantherapy.org.au
Does expressing my anger with violence make me appear manlier?
The only thing that makes you manly is actually expressing yourself. And I don’t mean the milking type! Expressing how you feel with your voice is a much more effective way to solve your issues than using fists. Save your fists for punching massive holes in stone walls.
I’ve sometimes thought of seeing a therapist, but I’m not crazy. Where can normal men like me go?
Jump in your earthmover and find the nearest computer then jump onto my website. There you can take the first steps to finding a way to deal with what life chucks at you and you just might learn something new about yourself like how much you love grilled pineapple.
I’ve tried therapy before and it sucked. Why should I give it another whack?
Therapy is just like using TNT. The fuse might be long and windy but when you get to the end, the results can be rather rewarding and quite impressive.
Is it OK to use a Wood on a par 3 hole?
Why the hell not? If it gets the job done, use a shovel if you need to! After all, a hole is a hole.
Do miners who abuse drugs and alcohol due to work stress or the pressure of working away from home just suffer from lack of will power? Shouldn’t they just harden up?
We all have our way of coping and some of these ways just aren’t great for our health and the people we care about. It’s tougher to face your problems head on than it is drinking yourself silly.
If I grow a moustache of Merv Hughes proportions will that increase my manliness, thereby reducing my risk of depression and anxiety?
Merv’s moutache is a national treasure and it has inspired many manly men over the years. If growing more hair on your body helps, then by all means put the razor into retirement.
My co-workers tell me to suck it up. They’re very manly so should I just take their advice?
I hope they’re referring to the last dregs of a good tomato sauce soaked meat pie. The real test of manlyhood is to seek support from a real man like myself.
When a member of the English cricket team cuts me off in traffic the urge to inflict violence is instant and overwhelming. All men feel like that don’t they…?
I can sympathise with you there but the fact is, we all get the red haze occasionally and it’s a good sign to start tackling life’s problems the way Warnie would, from a completely different angle.
If I have to put the toilet seat down after every visit, why shouldn’t she have to put it up?
I have only one thing to say to that, happy wife, happy life.
What’s harder – seeking help for depression or getting up at 3am to start shift and discovering there’s no coffee?
Now that’s never easy to deal with. Even if it’s instant coffee you crave. Every facet of life can be hard but if you let it go too long, it will get harder and harder. Just like the tip of that stone cutting jackhammer.
DO YOU HAVE THE BALLS TO TACKLE DEPRESSION?
Dr Brian Ironwood isn’t a registered practitioner, but he takes seriously his role as the face of beyondblue’s Man Therapy campaign, which aims to improve men’s wellbeing and reduce the much higher rate of male suicide in Australia compared to women.
He is a straight-talking, irreverent, man’s man employed to host the Man Therapy website and urge Australian men to take charge of their mental health.
The Man Therapy campaign is the first of its kind in Australia and urges men to have the balls to take action on depression and anxiety while reminding them that a real man looks out for his mates.
In Australia, one in eight men are likely to experience depression in their lifetime, and one in five men are likely to experience anxiety. These rates are lower than women, but Australian men are more than three times more likely to die by suicide than women, with at least 1727 men dying from suicide in 2011.
And ABS data shows that men are much less likely to seek treatment with only 27 per cent of men who have recently experienced a mental health condition getting help for it compared to 40 per cent of women.
The number of men who died by suicide in 2011 is almost twice the number who died on the roads that year which means suicide currently ranks as the biggest killer of Australian males aged between 15 and 44.
As Dr Ironwood says: “What the f*** is going on?!”
beyondblue Chairman Jeff Kennett said it is difficult for many men to admit they have depression or anxiety because they associate it with weakness.
“We know Australian men can think that having these conditions means they are not being strong enough to handle the issues in their life,” he said. “Men can see support-seeking as a failure, but in fact it is the right and manly thing to do. We have created mantherapy.org.au to change these attitudes and create a better understanding of good mental health.
“If men do not understand the signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety, they are unlikely to know when the crisis point is reached. The fact is even the strongest men can and do develop depression or anxiety in the same way that they can develop a physical illness, but life can improve dramatically with the right action.”
Dr Brian Ironwood does not consult by appointment – in fact no appointment is necessary. Visit www.mantherapy.org.au to learn more about the good Doctor and his Man Therapy campaign.
To view Dr Brian Ironwood’s video clips go to www.youtube.com/beyondblue.
To follow Dr Brian Ironwood on twitter go to www.twitter.com/DrBrianIronwood.
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