Mental Health in isolated areas is hard

Julie:

I've written before about the problems of mental health in the bush and I'm not the only one. The following is from Garry Hardingham, who is a flying padre with Uniting Church, based in Cloncurry in Qld. To see the rest of the story and learn what happened to the young man click on Garry's newsletter on the right-hand side of the page under "Newsletters and Files'

Dear Friends,
The gun was lying across the front dashboard of the ute as he fumbled for the door handle and almost fell into the front seat. His wife ran out the gate and threw his wallet in through the front window just as he took off in a cloud of dust. This time he wasn't coming back. This time he would solve everyone's problems. It would be quick, decisive, final. His anger had welled up so high that now there was nothing left to feel. Just a daze before him as he roared out the gate and onto the road bound for something....but what?

I was having breakfast when the call came. A frantic mother calling from across the other side of the country. She'd heard that her son had taken off and was, understandably, worried about what he might do. But what could I do? Apart from maybe call the police. There was a history of her son's anger, but this was something else. She pleaded for me to do something. But, the reality was there was really nothing I could do, until he'd done something, whatever that might be.

As many of you will know, dealing with psychological issues in the outback is a hard thing. There are few, or often no, counsellors, let alone psychologists or psychiatrists about. There are no mental health units or psychiatric hospitals. And the distances and isolation can often mask the seriousness of a person's mental state....... (read the rest in Garry's newsletter on the right hand side of the page).