ONE of the largest studies into adult use of mental health services in Australia has revealed that those individuals who need them most - including those living in rural and remote areas - are missing out.
The Monash University study looked at 25 million Medicare-supported mental health services provided between 2007 and 2011.
It found people who lived in disadvantaged, rural and remote areas were more likely to miss out on health and it highlighted the top fifth of Australian society had about three times better access to psychological services than the bottom fifth.
The study said "increasing remoteness was consistently associated with lower service activity".
In disadvantaged areas, patients were more likely to be treated for mental health issues by their GP or general psychologist than by specialists.
Unfortunately, these findings have come as no surprise to those who live and work in regional Australia.
Yorke Peninsula's Vanessa Boully - a former counselling manager for Lifeline Country to Coast and trainer in suicide awareness and intervention skills - said the study "didn't say anything we didn't know".
"We know the services aren't good," she said.
"Maybe what we have to take out of it is not so much what it says, but how can we improve health services with what (funding) we're given.
"You're not going to get more psychologists or psychiatrists moving to the country, but maybe we should think of funding more to work in telehealth."
She said one of the biggest issues facing mental health was the mix of state and federal funding.
"It tends to be like a leopard spot basis - there just doesn't seem to be any coordination,'' she said.
"Rural people have had their services knocked back so much - banks, shops - that in a way I think maybe for some people, their health isn't a surprise."
With the roll-out of the NBN, Mrs Boully suggested improving telehealth, or e-health, services for mental health.
"To talk to a psychologist or psychiatrist you really don't need a physical examination, so why don't we do more of that? she said.
"I think the government's got to realise that a 30-minute appointment for someone from the country can be a two-day trip.
"And it's all very well saying it's a free service, but there's still costs to travel.
"It's not just mental health - we have a scarcity of health specialists."
Carla Wiese-Smith
Editor of SmartFarmer magazine.
Editor of SmartFarmer magazine.
