Rural, regional and remote communities are facing severe gaps in access to mental health services, despite higher levels of illness and psychological distress, according to new data.
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Mental Health Australia and the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling at the University of Canberra have released the figures in the Mapping Mental Health Care project to coincide with World Mental Health Day on October 10.
The researchers drew on data on Australian Government funded mental health care, including both Medicare-subsidised services and Primary Health Network commissioned services.
National Rural Health Alliance chief executive Susi Tegen said it's disappointing to see rural communities fall behind.
"The federal and state governments need to show more commitment to engage with stakeholders to relieve rural communities of the barriers to accessing mental health services," Ms Tegen said.
"We know mental illness in rural and remote Australia appears more prevalent than in major cities and tragically, rates of self-harm and suicide increase with remoteness."
There's concern regional Australians are showing lower engagement with Medicare-subsidised mental health services, due to longer travel times and less access to medical care providers.
Ms Tegen said rural and remote communities also face unique stressors, including frequent natural disasters such as bushfires, flood and drought, fewer employment opportunities and higher levels of housing stress.
"We need to address the unique problems faced by rural, regional and remote communities and attend to them with innovative, place-based, flexible models of mental health care and funding," Ms Tegen said.
"The latest data is a wake-up call on World Mental Health Day, to take urgent action to provide care every day for people living outside cities. We have a social contract to do so."
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