Out of the Blue Aims to Tackle Stigma Associated with Men’s Mental Health Issues

As one of the STRIDE projects announced today by beyondblue and The
Movember Foundation, Out of the Blue will see the Victorian AIDS Council (VAC) partner with
ACON, the Centre for Social Research in Health (CSRH) at UNSW, creative agency Liquorice as
well as community partners GAMMA NSW and Living Positive Victoria to embark on a twoyear
project aimed at men living with HIV as well as same-sex attracted men in heterosexual
relationships to combat the stigma associated with mental health conditions.
The STRIDE (Stigma Reduction Interventions: Digital Environments) Project includes six
smaller projects going into digital environments to combat the stigma associated with men
seeking assistance for mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Out of the Blue
will aim to address those issues within two target groups that experience this stigma in
addition to the stigma experienced living with HIV and/or being same-sex attracted while in
a heterosexual relationship. The complexities of this project require a partnership that lead
agency, VAC, is excited to engage in.
“Historically, our community has made some of it’s most significant strides forward when
working together,” said VAC CEO Simon Ruth. “This interstate collaboration is an exciting
endeavour to create an innovative project that could improve our reach and efficacy when
delivering mental health support services.”
“Anxiety and depression are the two highest prevalence mental health disorders in the
general community. It is well established that that the LGBTI community experience much
higher rates of anxiety and depression when compared to the general population. When you
consider also the stigma and discrimination that has been, and still is, experienced by our
community, the value of this project becomes very clear,” said ACON Director, HIV & Sexual
Health Karen Price. “Importantly, the project will deliver information, advice and support to
build personal resilience and assist them to share experiences.”
Director of CSRH Director Professor John de Wit said, “Out of the Blue provides important
new services for men who are particularly vulnerable to stigma and CSRH is very pleased to
be part of this innovative program.”
“We will be contributing robust evaluation methods that will investigate the benefits of this
much-needed service,” added Professor Carla Treloar from CSRH.
“We are designing a digital environment where users feel completely protected, so that they
can talk freely about their issues. This is the perfect sanctuary for them. This will give users
an opportunity to connect with peers and experts they might otherwise never talk to in the
physical world. The platform will support a range of opt-in message notifications to cater
for each user’s preference and to ensure they have complete control over any contact,” said
Liquorice Director Scott Bonanno. “Customising the technology to ensure it’s sensitive to
our audience’s needs will give us the best chance of attracting users and building a positive
online community.”
Starting in July 2015, Out of the Blue will create two websites aimed at the respective
target groups including a combination of ways men can get support and information about
overcoming stigma and other barriers when seeking to improve their mental health and
wellbeing.

Out of the Blue is funded by beyondblue through donations from the Movember Foundation.