BALLSY humour, man jokes and even the 'f' word are being employed to get suicide, the biggest killer of men aged 15-45, under control.

Male suicide rates are three times higher than women's and suicide kills twice as many men as car accidents because they don't seek help when they are depressed as they associate it with failure and weakness.

Mental health group beyondblue is enlisting humour and the larrikin character Dr Brian Ironwood to encourage men to "have the balls" to take action on depression by visiting a new mantherapy.org.au website launched Wednesday.

Confronted with the statistics on male suicide, Dr Brian Ironwood asks :"What the f*** is going on?!"

In a series of television, radio, print an online ads, Dr Ironwood, not a registered medical practitioner, warms his hands down his trouser front, cycles while lying on his back on a desk, eats noisily and files his nails.

A man has his own way of doing things," Dr Ironwood says.

"So when a man faces serious stuff, the serious stuff life chucks at him like anger, stress, difficulty sleeping, drinking too much or sadness, shouldn't a man have a way of dealing with that too? Well, now he does"

The campaign is being funded by the Federal Government.

"To get the message across to men, we needed something creative and funny and I think beyondblue has nailed it with Man Therapy," Mental Health Minister Mark Butler said.

Former policeman Paul Walshe attempted to take his own life nine years ago after a police training course bought back memories of the abuse he suffered as a child.

He started drinking, his marriage ended and he refused to seek help.

"I thought it would be career limiting, expose me as not up to scratch with the blokes I work with," the former detective sergeant said.

When he finally took friends into his confidence and was open about his problems "my whole world went from black and white to colour and I didn't have to lie or hide or fake when I was struggling," he said.

Using larrikin humour to connect with men is a good idea and directing them to a website where they can seek help anonymously is also clever, he said.

"When I first made a call to the police welfare unit I gave a false name- Peter Stevens," he said.

"Anonymity is good if it gets you to first base," he says.

If you need help please contact: Lifeline: 13 11 14 Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467, Suicide Line (Victoria only): 1300 651 251 MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78, www. mantherapy.org.au

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