Something Haunting You? Reframing and Promoting Help-Seeking for Young Men: The Co-Creation and Evaluation of a Social Marketing Campaign

Young people possess capabilities, knowledge and creativity to live healthy and happy lives. However, in Australia, similar to elsewhere in the world, young people report high levels of psychological distress brought about through such everyday events as: managing uncertain life transitions; peer pressures and influences; bullying and cyberbullying; and discrimination. Despite high levels of mental health literacy, many young people-especially young men-are reluctant to seek help for physical or mental health problems, preferring to try and resolve the issues themselves as part of their burgeoning independence and autonomy. These are not new challenges. Novel and creative strategies are needed to respectfully and effectively communicate with young men in particular, and connect them to information and support when they need it.