Feeling fine? How's your mental health?

Fewer people in Bourke ,Cobar, and Coonamble have long-term mental and behavioural health conditions than in many other areas of the state, according to new data from Mental Health Australia and the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling at the University of Canberra.

The Mapping Mental Health Care research project shows that seventeen per cent (17%) of people across the three districts are dealing with these conditions, less than places such as Griffith and Lower Murray, where the figure sits at around 25%.

Bourke, Cobar, and Coonamble had far lower rates than Wagga Wagga, Goulburn, and the Snowy Mountains, which all sit at 33%.

The western plains trio also fared better than outback South Australia and outback Western Australia, the latter having some 40% of people mental disorders in some of its areas. 

For those with long-term mental health conditions in the three shires, you are most likely aged between 25 and 45, and most likely unemployed or on low incomes. It was evenly split between males and females.

Perhaps wisdom comes with age: with just 9% of people aged 65 and over having a long-term mental or behavioural condition, the lowest by a long shot.

It had far less than Wagga Wagga, Goulburn, and the Snowy Mountains, which all sit at 33%.

There were higher rates of mental health disorders in regional areas as across much of suburban Sydney, prevalence sat between 9% to 14%.

The National Rural Health Alliance (the Alliance) has responded with calls for increased investment and systemic mental health reform to rectify these disparities.

"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," said Susi Tegen, Chief Executive of the Alliance.

"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. Yet, these communities are the most underserved compared to major cities."

The Rural Health Alliance says rural and remote communities experience a range of stressors unique to living outside major cities and also deal with larger distances to travel, less access to health and medical care providers, lower employment opportunities, and less financial stability.

The Mapping Mental Health Care research project also found around 20% of the people in Bourke, Cobar and Coonamble have experienced high psychological distress in the last 12 months - and those who did tend to be unemployed or from lower-income households. Compared to other rural areas, the cohort of towns experienced less psychological distress than people in rural Victoria, southern NSW, and outback South Australia. 

However, there must be something going pretty well in Western Queensland - despite their isolation, dry weather and low populations enjoyed the lowest rates of psychological distress compared to all other rural areas Australia-wide.