Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A health professional on a mission to break through the stigma associated with mental illness so people will reach out for help has gone to "the backbone" of smaller rural communities with her message.
Dianne Gill spoke to about 60 members of the Country Women's Association (CWA) gathered at Dubbo yesterday, sharing with them the support to help people stay well or recover quickly.
Ms Gill, a 16-year veteran in the mental health field, reported that during that time the stigma had decreased but not disappeared.
"The barriers are being broken but we need to break them faster so people will seek help in a timely manner," she said.
"The CWA is the backbone of smaller communities, they are the go-to people when something is wrong."
Ms Gill, a Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) co-ordinator for the past eight years, reported one in five people suffered a mental illness in their lifetime.
"With the ripple effect it impacts on the whole community," she said.
It was important to encourage people to do something positive about their mental health, through seeing a health practitioner, taking a walk, eating well or sleeping well, Ms Gill said.
"Because the sooner you seek help, the sooner your recovery and the less chance of a relapse," she said.
The RAMHP, a program of the Western NSW Local Health District, offers two courses to help equip people to identify and assist people experiencing mental distress, Ms Gill reports.
There was one three-hour session designed for front-line staff working for government and non-government organisations, and another 90-minute package aimed at the wider community.
Ms Gill said if people were worried about someone, to find support they should ring the state's Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511.