According to Lifeline, on any given day, approximately 9 Australians take their own life. With 75% of those who take their life being male, this equates to 7 Australian men per day.
For former chiropractor Sam Parker, who founded men’s health charity Grab Life By The Balls in 2016, these figures are “horrific,” and paint a picture of the dire need for intervention before it’s too late.
“There’s a big gap around making changes before things hit the fan,” he says. “The most preventative approach out there, particularly for men’s health and wellbeing in the suicide and mental health space, is waiting for someone to have enough things going on that you ask them ‘what’s going on? Are you okay?”
When it comes to male suicide, in most cases, he explains there isn’t a diagnosed mental health condition or disorder associated with male suicide. Often, factors such as financial pressures, employment or relationship issues, or pending legal matters are the primary causes.
On face value, it seems simple; the best early intervention is to get men talking about what’s troubling them. In his nine years running Grab Life By The Balls, Sam’s found this isn’t as easy as it seems.
“What we’ve found over the years is that the informal, laid back, no agenda besides connecting, social events fostered and created an environment that somehow led to positive change,” he explains.
“It led to guys walking away happier, guys crediting us with saving their life, even though we didn’t have that ballsy conversation or that express your feelings kind of conversation.”
In essence, social connection is one of the most important factors in fighting against negative men’s health trends and facilitating improvements. This is especially true when considering Australia’s loneliness epidemic, with 15% of the population experiencing social isolation. In men, that figure rises to 18%, breeding many potentially damaging health issues. He cites one study, which indicates having three or more close confidants reduces an individual’s risk of having poor mental health, as well as reducing the likelihood of having a heart attack or a stroke.
The list of health ailments eased by social connection does not end there, with Sam stating that men diagnosed with prostate cancer – the most diagnosed cancer among men – are more likely to recover quicker and live longer if they have three or more close mates.
“All of the healthy aging studies, the longevity studies, around living a longer, healthier, happier life, there’s a strong pillar that’s always mentioned, which is social connection,” he says.
Which is why Sam and the team at Grab Life By The Balls have prioritised extensively promoting mateship. He believes a by-product of this is breaking down the “bravado stigma” that holds Australian men back when discussing their mental health.
But simply promoting mateship and breaking down existing stigmas won’t cut it in the fight to improve men’s health and wellbeing. Engaging Australia’s male population is also critical.
For Sam, engaging the male population is a lot more than just encouraging mateship and organising events. Amongst other things, engagement includes increasing the accessibility of men to medical services and increasing the prominence of services available outside working hours, such as online GPs and hotlines, as well as education, particularly for younger men.
For adult males, the key to engagement is creating events and environments that fit seamlessly into their day. This means before-or-after social events, whether it be a coffee catch-up or burger night, that don’t interfere with work commitments and using these events to promote the benefits of mateship and create that all-important sense of community.
When it comes to school-aged males, engagement can be as simple as heading into schools and talking about subjects like manhood, taking responsibility for their actions, and looking out for their mates, amongst other things. According to one study, 75% of 10-to-15-year-olds agreed talking about their feelings would be great for their mental health and wellbeing, but 40% had tried and wouldn’t consider doing it again.
It also highlights the importance of initiatives like Men’s Health Week, taking place from 9 June to 15 June this year and aiming to spotlight the physical and mental health of Australian men.
Taking Part in Men’s Health Week
During the week, Grab Life By The Balls will be running several events, including a Bunnings barbeque, though Sam insists it’s “no different to any other for us because it’s just what we do.” To learn more about Grab Life By The Balls and to view their upcoming events, visit www.grablifebytheballs.com.au
Businesses, organisations, and workplaces are invited to take part in this year’s Men’s Health Week. There are a range of ways they can do this, whether by hosting an event in their office or community, or by using the Know Your Man Facts toolkits on the Men’s Health Week website to raise awareness and educate on several men’s health topics. For more information on Men’s Health Week 2025 and to access these free resources, visit www.amhf.org.au/men_s_health_week_australia
You can read more about Grab Life By The Balls in the June edition of The Australian Chiropractor.