Beyondblue Launches ‘Davo The Tradie’ To Chat About Depression

Beyondblue Launches ‘Davo The Tradie’ To Chat About Depression
B&T Magazine
By B&T Magazine



Beyondblue will tackle the issue of tradie depression with a revamped campaign that brings humour to a serious issue and shows ‘blue-collar’ men that feeling down is nothing to be ashamed of.

The new mental health campaign, which costs about $1 million and took a year to research, will hit radio, television and digital screens.

This campaign coincides with the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) launches the ‘Tradies National Health Month’, which also is teaching Australian tradies to keep a check on their health and well being.

A recent beyondblue survey revealed that nearly a third of men who are “blue-collar” workers wouldn’t know what to do if they were struggling with depression or anxiety. More than a quarter believed that men with these conditions were seen as soft and many thought seeking help was a sign of weakness.

Beyondblue chairman The Hon. Jeff Kennett AC said: “We’ve created Davo to help tradies and other men who don’t work in offices recognise the signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety, and to guide them to support. Men owe it to themselves and their loved ones to be as healthy as they can be, and Davo will help them do that. This is a funny, cheeky and attention-grabbing campaign that will have a big impact.”

Beyondblue CEO Georgie Harman said: “Man Therapy has been very successful. Nearly half of Australian men were exposed to it and a third of those visited a GP soon after seeing it. But our evaluation of its impact showed more could be done to target ‘blue-collar’ men, so we’ve adopted a fresh approach and created Davo.

“Nearly 2000 men die by suicide each year in Australia, triple the number of women and almost double the amount of men killed on our roads. This is fuelled by men’s reluctance to get help. The TNS report shows most men understand the importance of talking about mental health. Now we must encourage men to take action for themselves, and Davo is just the man to help us do that. I would also like to thank the Australian Government’s Department of Health for funding this campaign.”

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