National mental health organisation, beyondblue, has launched a new campaign aimed at creating a culture of mental health awareness with the Australian male cohort.

To be fronted by the conjectural Dr Brian Ironwood, the new campaign aims to improve men’s wellbeing and reduce the rate of suicide, which is significantly higher than that of women.

The straight-talking, irreverent man’s man character has been created to host the newly created Man Therapy website, aimed at urging Australian men to take charge of their mental health.

The first of its kind in Australia, the site urges ‘men to have the balls to take action on depression and anxiety’ while reminding them that real men look out for their mates in all elements of their life.

The humorous Man Therapy ads will appear on all media including television, radio, print, social media and online, with the no-nonsense Dr Brian Ironwood spearheading the campaign. The ads start today and will run until mid-2014.

The campaign messages will direct people to Dr Ironwood’s website, mantherapy.org.au, where he will guide them through activities to assess their wellbeing, offer answers to frequently asked questions and advise them on how to take action to deal with depression and anxiety.