They are the mental health statistics that make for terrifying reading, but they are also the statistics Gus Worland wants to get out there.
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Seven men and two women in Australia lose their lives to suicide every day while there are separate suicide attempts every 28 seconds.
Worland might be well-known as one of Triple M's Dead Set Legends (and formally The Grill Team) but he's also a driving force in men's mental health, or mental fitness as he calls it, through his charity Gotcha4Life.
The annual 24-hour row for mental health is set to take place on October 30-31 and Worland took the opportunity to open up on why mental health needs to be spoken about.
It's braver, stronger and more manly to 'man up' and speak up rather than 'man up' and shut up which is what we've been told all our lives.
- Gus Worland
"It's braver, stronger and more manly to 'man up' and speak up rather than 'man up' and shut up which is what we've been told all our lives," he said.
"We got a bum steer back in the day, but it doesn't mean that we can't change it now. It's just going to take a bit of time and we have to be patient.
"If you told everyone those stats - seven men, two women and every 28 seconds someone attempts, that would be enough for most people to say we need to change up what we've traditionally done."
It's part of how his charity Gotcha4Life started in 2017.
It is Australia's mental fitness charity that works to end suicide by delivering programs that create meaningful mateship, building emotional muscle and strengthening social connections in local communities.
"Gotcha4Life means I've gotcha warts-and-all, mate and I'm not going to judge you," Worland said.
"We're going to get through the type of shit that life throws at us together because we know traditionally men have been told to 'man up', get on with it, bury your emotions, don't be a sook, get a teaspoon of cement and harden the f**k up."
"We're going to get through the type of shit that life throws at us together because we know traditionally men have been told to 'man up', get on with it, bury your emotions, don't be a sook, get a teaspoon of cement and harden the f**k up."
- Gus Worland
Worland was affected by mental health tragedy when he lost a father-figure to suicide.
"Even though the awareness is out there and we're talking about it more, we have still got massive issues when it comes to that in this country," he said.
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Instead of focusing on mental health, Worland wants people to focus on mental fitness the same way they would look at physical fitness.
"If you talk about 'mental health' it tends to make people think you're down the bottom of the barrel and it makes you think that it's someone else's problem, but the thing is we've all got issues," he said.
"Even though the awareness is out there and we're talking about it more, we have still got massive issues when it comes to that in this country."
- Gus Worland
"You have your good days and you have your bad days. That's being human so we need to normalise the conversation and when you've got events (like the row) it gets your physical fitness up, but it also gets you with like-minded people to talk about how things are truly going."
Worland admitted there has been more awareness around mental health, but more still needed to be done around shifting the thought process.
The emphasis needed to continue to be on opening up more and toughening up less.
"The key is knowing you can have that conversation, but you've got to know how to do it and when you need to do it," he said.
"If you show a bit of vulnerability, that will get you the support you need and that will make you stronger overall."
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