The NSW South Coast man, now 24, remembers the moment as a turning point for both of their lives.

Adam said his dad, like many others from his generation, were expected to bottle up their emotions and that if they spoke openly, they were perceived as weak.

He would "self-medicate" with alcohol, Adam said, until he one day he asked his dad a tough, but pivotal question.

"My dad used to stand outside in the backyard after he got home from work ... and drink until late hours of the night," Adam said.

"There was a lot of stress and anger that came from the way he dealt with his own emotions and it impacted me growing up as a child.

"One day the drinking started to annoy me. I came out and asked him if he ever thought about taking his own life, and that's when he broke down in my arms."

Five years on from that moment, Adam has been having more open, vulnerable conversations with his dad and his mates about mental health. He said asking the simple question "Are you okay?" could potentially save a life.

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"My dad's doing much better," Adam said. "He actually talks about things now, which is something he didn't expect to do, and we have deeper conversations."

As a youth worker for the Top Blokes Foundation, it's become Adam's life mission to encourage other young men to talk openly about mental health and alcohol consumption.

It's a particularly important message he is passing on to young men at schools for Men's Health Week.

"We need to be able to break that stigma around that it's weak for men to speak," Adam said, "especially to the younger generation who have much higher exposures to alcohol and drugs now.

"Social media also plays a major part in how they deal with or associate their mental health.

"Getting in for that early intervention and prevention is so important in order for us to be able to change the statistics around mental health and suicide."

Suicide is the leading cause of death for men aged 15 to 44, and Adam said these statistics must change.

"I work with young males from 11 to 24, and we've seen in recent years that statistics prove mental health issues are occurring at a much younger age," Adam said.

"As men, we need to start taking care of our health and well-being, and breaking the stereotypes of what society may depict us to be.

"I believe just having those conversations between you, your friends, your family, and within your community, is the best way that we can start to break those stereotypes around men and their mental health."

If you or someone you know needs support: call Lifeline on 13 11 14.