Nathan Appo’s father is his "best mate". But when his dad fell into depression, he felt shut out of his life.
"He wasn't leaving his room, he wasn't able to talk to myself or talk to our family," Mr Appo said at a promotional event for Movember.
"It was heartbreaking ... because my best mate couldn't talk to me and I didn't understand."
But Neil Appo turned a corner, and his struggle became an important part of his son's advocacy for Indigenous men's health.
"Now we're able to talk about that and be in spaces to talk about our experiences."
Mr Appo is a Mamu man and Indigenous health advocate who acts as a spokesperson for groups including the Movember Institute of Men’s Health and Deadly Health.
As a young man he was invited to Parliament House by legendary activist Charles Perkins to advocate for the Indigenous health program.
His father saved himself when he chose to open up to his family and see a therapist for his depression, but many men in their community aren't so lucky.
While the life expectancy of Indigenous people has been slowly rising over the past decade, it is still about 10 years shorter than that of other Australians with Indigenous men being worse off than women.
Australian men, in general, are less likely to seek medical and mental health support for preventable conditions, and men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women.
But the rate for Indigenous men is three times higher than that, and most of the victims are between the ages of 15 and 24.
Indigenous people still face barriers to culturally appropriate healthcare and mental health support, and for Indigenous men these intersect with health barriers the broader male population face.
Many Indigenous men don't seek treatment for mental health due to feeling shame speaking up and pressure to present a strong image to their community.
"Indigenous men don't feel as comfortable going through the healthcare system and looking for the appropriate support," Mr Appo told AAP.
Indigenous Australians may also face discrimination, a lack of understanding or a denial of identity from the mainstream healthcare system.
"I personally felt discrimination with the health care system and it had an effect on my father not wanting to reach out."
According to a study by the Movember Institute, Indigenous men are 16 per cent more likely to feel disrespected after their first visit to a health provider than other men, and 21 per cent more likely to feel disempowered.
The federal government announced a four-year funding agreement for Aboriginal community controlled health organisations in June alongside an investment of $300 million.
These organisations provide culturally appropriate healthcare to Indigenous communities and are typically staffed by local community members.
They are also located within a reasonable distance from the communities they serve, with lengthy travel times from remote communities another healthcare barrier Indigenous people face.
"We know what works with our people and more services, more support, more health care, more infrastructure in those areas are needed," Mr Appo said.
Indigenous men's health has a "ripple effect" across the Indigenous community with children losing out on male role models and families feeling isolated and abandoned.
"When we're screaming for more role models, it's hard to when they're grieving a lot, when they're passing away because of suicide," he said.
"We need these young men building and growing into strong Indigenous men leading our communities."
13YARN 13 92 76
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
