Farmers, it's ok to talk: Breaking down the stigma of mental health in regional and rural Queensland
/ By Craig Zonca and Kallee BuchananRural advocates say removing the "label" of mental illness is key to breaking down the stigma that sees many shy away from seeking help.
"We've got to stop people thinking that mental illness isn't a medical condition, because it is," 2013 Queensland Rural Woman of the Year Alison Fairleigh said.
"Go and get the help you need, because there's plenty out there."
Ms Fairleigh works for the Mental Illness Fellowship of North Queensland and runs outreach programs into drought-affected parts of the state.
"To begin with ... people were saying 'things are not good for me but there's somebody else down the road who's far worse off," she said.
"I was constantly getting that.
"Now people are starting to say 'things are really bad here and I need some support'."
Loading...Emotional resilience consultant Dennis Hoiberg said a critical step was getting people to say "yes" to available assistance.
"Regional and rural people have learnt to say 'no' over many years," he said.
"There are so many people who are out there to help, but you have got to learn to say 'yes'."
Mr Hoiberg said the other misconception of the bush was that farmers were reluctant to talk openly about their mental health.
"That is one of the great myths, that men don't talk," he explained.
"They do talk — to the right people, in the right place, at the right time.
"The greatest gift we can give someone when they're going through a tough time is ourselves and to be present."
It was a message reinforced by the director of the Mt Isa Centre for Rural and Remote Health, Professor Sabina Knight.
During a special mental health panel discussion on the Queensland Country Hour, she said maintaining physical health was also important to mental wellbeing, particularly when you lived in rural areas.
"Our diet and our activity levels have a huge influence over how we feel and can compound when we're not feeling very well," Professor Knight said.
"It's really, really important to keep yourself fit and to make sure that you're as good as you can be to ride out these circumstances."
Phone help bridges rural isolation divide
In response to the worsening drought and economic challenges in the bush, earlier this year Uniting Care Communities launched the Country Callback Line alongside its Lifeline service.
The free, confidential 24-hour advice, referral, and counselling service is designed to help people in the country by putting them in touch with counsellors who can help them the most, whether their problem is related to their health, relationships or finances.
Darlene Terry, helped pioneer the service when it was piloted in Bundaberg.
Loading...She said it differs from the crisis support offered by Lifeline by allowing the service to stay in touch with those that make contact.
"With Lifeline it's a one-off call but with Country Callback you can ring, have a chat with somebody and we can actually offer a call-back service with a counsellor to support them, whatever their needs are," she said.
"We do know that the rural people were calling Lifeline, we did some statistics and really looked at it and said well, they're definitely calling but what more can we do?
"So we decided that if we put that in place 24 hours a day, seven days a week, we could actually support them ongoing."
She said the service started slowly, but its growing popularity has seen the number of volunteers needed to staff it expand.
"We do make a difference and we can help," she said.
"People can ring and feel suicidal and people can ring and think life is over and there's nothing else that's going to support them but we work through it.
"I encourage you to pick up the phone and just have a chat with us, you never know, we really might be able to change how you're feeling and really support you in that crisis time. So please, call that Country Callback."
The number for the Country Callback is 1800 54 33 54.