Blokes

Dear Men, Where’s Your Commitment?
I have got to say this. I am shocked at how many men today seem to think it’s okay to abdicate their responsibility to their family. I seem to be assessing so many men these days who are naval gazing and narcissistic, constantly complaining about how everyone has done them wrong. Don’t get me wrong, […]

Stop “Dumbing Down” Male Depression – It’s Complex and Needs a Re-Think
The 1990’s have been referred to as “the decade of the antidepressant.” Pharmaceutical companies went into overdrive advertising them and many of us jumped naively on the bandwagon thinking we’d found a quick fix. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the miracle pill we all thought it was. We’ve realised since then, thank goodness, that depression is a […]

On Friends and Being Friendly
Recently I added a post to the website called, “Just Do It” which talked about getting up off your bum and doing something when you’re depressed. Well, I want to follow up on that and talk about the joy of meeting new people and getting to know their stories. This last week I got to know […]

Time to Talk About Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse
By Rhys Price-Robertson, Australian Institute of Family Studies Make a list of ten men in your life — perhaps your father, your partner, your friends, and some of your colleagues. It’s likely that at least one man on your list is struggling with the traumatic legacy of child sexual abuse. And the odds are that […]

Postnatal depression: it doesn’t just affect women
Men get post-natal depression too, right? Now before any of you women reach through your computer screen and try to slap me across the face have a read of this interesting article. When I first read the title I was quite amused, then once I read it and reflected on what it had to say, […]

Macho, Macho Man…. Who Wants to be a Macho Man?
By Richard Fletcher, University of Newcastle The attempt to rein in offensive “shock jock” style radio commentary received mixed reaction in the media, but the notion of banning words that might demean a particular group opens up an enticing possibility. Many of us can imagine the satisfaction of being the media regulator for a day, […]

Helping Mentally Ill Fathers for the Sake of their Children
Helping mentally ill fathers for the sake of their children By Richard Fletcher, University of Newcastle The idea that mental illness can harm family relationships is not new. But it’s usually the mother’s parenting that has been the centre of attention. So an article I co-wrote in today’s issue of the Medical Journal of Australia […]