Changing the perceptions of men's mental health
In the lead-up to Men's Health Week, the University will host a special Banksia Project forum focusing on men's health in sport. Joining the panel is PhD candidate Zac Seidler, whose research focuses on men's mental health.
Master of Clinical Psychology and PhD candidate聽Zac Seidler. Photo: Jayne Ion
For decades, it has been perceived common knowledge that men do not want to seek help or express their emotions, especially about psychological concerns like anxiety or depression. But third year candidate Zac Seidler, whose research project, , explores what men like, dislike, and think needs changing about psychological treatment, believes otherwise.
鈥淲hat we have recently learned in our research though is that men do want to seek help, and will engage in treatment, if they are given the type of help tailored to their needs.鈥�
Zac believes that the way forward is to reframe psychological help as a pathway towards empowerment rather than something shameful.
鈥淢asculinity is not 鈥榦ne-size fits all鈥�, it comes in all shapes and sizes. Psychologists and psychiatrists need to understand the importance of this breadth, focusing on the strengths men have, whether it be their independence, fathering, or mateship, will improve their mental health moving forward and the lives of those who love them,鈥澛� Zac said.
Men do want to seek help, and will engage in treatment, if they are given the type of help tailored to their needs
Zac is a guest speaker at an upcoming free forum on Men鈥檚 Mental Health in Sport. The forum is presented by the , a men鈥檚 mental wellness initiative combining awareness building with constructive action.
鈥�The audience will hear stories of triumph, failure, resilience, and dealing with the depths of mental illness in professional sport,鈥� Zac said. 鈥淲e will be talking about the importance of staying on top of your mental health, especially when things seem to be going well, and how social connectedness and empowerment are the key to preventing mental illness in men.鈥�
Also appearing at the forum will be athlete Matt Shirvington, cricketer Ed Cowan and Professor of Mental Health Nursing at Sydney Nursing School, Niels Buus, amongst others.
Zac鈥檚 passion for this important topic stems from his personal experience.
鈥淗aving lost my Dad to suicide almost four years ago, and now working clinically with men of all backgrounds, from those with HIV to refugees, I鈥檝e personally experienced the challenges mental health clinicians have engaging and treating men.鈥�
Zac saw the staggering male suicide rate continue to rise despite vast sums of money being contributed to treating the problem. 聽
鈥淚 realised someone needed to focus on what was happening behind the closed therapy doors. If it takes such effort to get a man to seek help, it makes sense we expend as much time ensuring they get something they want. Too many men are slipping through the cracks, and I want to do my best to improve our treatment options so we have a reliable safety net to catch them,鈥� Zac said.
Long term, Zac hopes to use both his clinical and research training to open Australia鈥檚 first mental health clinic focused on the treatment of men that continues to strive to better understand the ways we can improve men鈥檚 wellbeing.
鈥淭he University of Sydney is one of the only universities in Australia which offers this combined research and clinical program. It鈥檚 allowed me to see firsthand what the clinical psychology landscape looks like, and directed me towards the gaps that my research can fill.鈥�
The opportunities to connect with other researchers across the medical, social work, and nursing disciplines has allowed Zac to better understand the whole picture of men鈥檚 mental health. 鈥淯ndertaking my project and working with researchers from across other disciplines has really challenged and motivated me to continue to seek answers.鈥�
the free Mental Health in Sport forum, presented by the , on May 30.
runs from June 12 -18.
