Mental Health Crisis
The pandemic, bushfires, floods and other disasters have had a compounding effect on the daily stresses of people living in rural areas. This has resulted in adverse mental health effects for many Australians.
In Australia, mental healthcare professionals provide trauma-focused treatments to those in need, yet access to such services in regional and rural Australia are limited.
Mental health practitioners need access to evidence-based trauma treatment training to serve those most in need.
Impact of Trauma
While most people recover from disasters after an event, the time it takes can be reduced with early intervention and effective treatment for those overwhelmed by distressing events. People with symptoms of trauma may experience significant impairment in physical health and family, social, educational, occupational and other important areas of their lives.
The toll at a personal level can be substantial and the economic impact on society is considerable. Access to local treatment can provide healthy outcomes for the future.
Consequences
As the frequency and severity of natural disasters increases, we anticipate that more people will experience trauma.
Our awareness of the effects of interpersonal and societal violence is also growing.
This will place greater demand on our mental health workers who are already spread thin.