Mental health a concern in drought
By PHILIP LY
MENTAL
health workers have visited three drought-stricken towns in the Orana
region to help farmers and families deal with depression and anxiety.
The
workers from the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) spoke to
communities in Walgett, Brewarrina and Bourke about the services
available to them.
The visits were made at the request of the state minister for mental health and western NSW, Kevin Humphries.
RAMHP
co-ordinator Jenn Caine said community members were often unaware of
the services available to assist people experiencing mental health
problems because of stress.
She said information was key to ensure rural communities knew what services were available and how they could access them.
"There
are simple ways to stay mentally healthy but this can easily be
overlooked when experiencing ongoing stress and isolation when being so
busy working on the farm," Ms Caine said.
beyondblue
Chief Executive Officer Kate Carnell said depression and anxiety levels
in cities and rural areas were similar but became problematic in
droughts.
She said one in three Australians
would experience depression or anxiety at some point in their lives but
when people were subjected to prolonged and elevated stress levels, the
statistics worsened.
"The increased level
of stress does lift the levels of depression and anxiety and
unfortunately services may not be accessible in those [drought] areas,"
Ms Carnell said.
"These are clinical conditions just like a medical condition... the earlier you get help, the quicker you'll recover," she said.
She said suicide rates were an issue where there was a disparity between cities and rural areas.
"Suicide
is higher in rural and regional areas than in the cities due to a range
of reasons, one of them being the limited access to services," Ms
Carnell said.
Ms Caine said the RAMHP aimed to provide information about what help was available to overcome depression or anxiety.
"Distance can easily be eliminated as an obstacle but it's the awareness that is potentially the problem," she said.
Mr
Humphries said there was no question that the pressures some people
faced during times of adversity, such as a drought, could an have an
impact on their lives.
"That's why I have
asked the RAMHP to send additional staff out to some of the most
drought-affected areas to provide additional support to communities like
what help is available and what they do to access it if needed," Mr
Humphries said.
RAMHP is a key initiative of the University of Newcastle's Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health.
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