Australians are being let down by gaps in mental health services across the country. Shortages in regional areas in particular has led to people turning to community groups for help. The town of Esperance, 700 kilometres south-east of Perth, is feeling the impact with many locals feeling burnt out and exhausted.
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00:00Esperance is known for the good life, but for many locals, life has been taking a toll.
00:09It does stress, not sleeping.
00:12I'm tired. I'm tired a lot of the time.
00:15Esperance Care Services supports people doing it tough, but it's struggling with the town's mental health needs.
00:22It's probably as hard a time as I've had in 20 years.
00:26There's a range of counselling services in Esperance, but when it comes to urgent cases, people say they have nowhere to turn.
00:34Our daughter had her very first psychotic episode when she was 17.
00:39She's now nearly 56 and she lives with us.
00:45Her daughter sees a GP and a psychiatrist twice a year for medication, but she says she can't access regular mental health support.
00:54If we call community mental health, we get all sorts of excuses why they can't help us, but we get zero support.
01:02The only other option in emergencies is to call the police or the hospital.
01:06We took someone in there who was very unwell and within 15 minutes she was back out walking down the middle of the road.
01:14The WA Country Health Service says it has 24-7 access to mental health professionals via telehealth.
01:21The WA Government has indicated more funding for regional mental health support will be made available in the upcoming state budget.
01:29We obviously need to continue to make sure that we grow our mental health services right throughout regional Western Australia.
01:36Experts say communities should aim to tackle triggers of poor mental health.
01:40For smaller towns, it's also unreasonable to think that you're going to be able to import in just lots of new services.
01:47But there are broader things that remote communities can do.
01:50Esperants Care Services puts on a weekly meal for those in need.
01:55There's also a strong message for health system decision makers.
01:59Come down and spend some time with us and just see what the situation is.
02:04A plea to better support some of the country's most vulnerable people.
02:08You're welcome.
02:22You're welcome.