Flying Doctor tackles outback blues
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The RFDS has recruited two new ‘flying counsellors’ in Broken Hill to give people in remote communities a helping hand when times get tough.
Australians in remote areas are resilient, self-sufficient people. They’re used to facing the hardships of drought, fire and flood and ‘toughing it out’. Aussie ‘Bush Battlers’ are strong characters, but we all need someone to talk to, and people living in remote communities are no different.
Around 20 percent of adult Australians will experience some form of mental illness during their lifetime. The figures are different for men and women, with depression hitting one in four women and one in six men. Depression is a miserable, debilitating illness and it can be triggered by many things, from the break up of a relationship to fire, drought, crop failure or the death of a loved one. Whatever the trigger, it’s vital to get help and the sooner the better. That’s where the Flying Doctor’s new counsellors come in.
Based in Broken Hill, the new counsellors are regulars on the clinic runs to places like Whitecliffs, Wilcannia, Menindee, Ivanhoe and Louth. Wherever the RFDS holds clinics, they offer a counselling service.
“A lot of our initial work is informal as we gradually get to know people and find out what they need in their community,” says 36 year old Tracie Munro, who was nurse manager of a mental health unit in Broken Hill Hospital before she joined the Service. Originally from Melbourne, Tracie moved to Broken Hill to experience life in a rural setting. “Isolation is a big issue for some of our patients. Any restriction in services impacts on a patient’s health and our work is about giving people, no matter where they live, access to services that can improve their mental health.”
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Breaking down the stigmas that surround depression and mental illness will take some time. “There’s a greater resistance to counselling in rural areas because people are used to battling through hard times,” says Tracie. “They don’t want to ask for help. Hopefully we can re-educate people and help them understand what’s happening if a friend or family member experiences problems.”
If you need help in the Broken Hill catchment area, call the Flying Doctor Base on 08 8080 3700. The emergency number is 08 8088 1188. Sometimes, just having someone to talk to can make all the difference. More information and fact sheets are also available from Beyond Blue, the national depression initiative. They have a free booklet called ‘Taking care of yourself after retrenchment or financial loss.’ Call 1300 22 4636 for your copy or visit www.beyondblue.org.au
Top left: RFDS Councellor Tracie Munro
Bottom left: The sooner someone gets help, the better the outcome