Coronavirus exposes fragility of Victoria’s regional mental health system

Regional mental health providers have seen an increased demand for help, but services were already at capacity before coronavirus struck, a Victorian Royal Commission has found.

Coronavirus lockdowns have caused further stress on regional Victoria’s already strained mental health system. Picture: File

THE coronavirus pandemic has made a bad situation worse for regional Victoria’s failing mental health system.

The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System reported a considerable increase in psychological and suicidal distress during the pandemic in regional Victoria.

And most mental health and community health providers have described a notable increase in demand for help that some say has become unmanageable because services were already at capacity before COVID-19 struck.

The Commission found that the impact of coronavirus on top of trauma from extreme weather events significantly affected the strength of regional communities – especially when causing delay in both healing and recovery.

Gippsland Lakes Complete Health chief executive Sue Medson told the Commission that the effects of drought followed by bushfires and then coronavirus had an enormous impact on East Gippsland.

“And it’ll be ongoing until we’re able to safely restore tourism, see rain on the pastures and have gone through at least one other fire season without a repeat of the devastation,” she said. “And none of us can guarantee that.”

Local events that allow residents to connect, share experiences and regain a sense of belonging and stability were unable to go ahead throughout regional Victoria.

High stress levels among clinical and community support workforces was also reported, with concern for staff who were working and living in the community, and therefore also coping with personal stress from bushfire, drought floods and coronavirus.

Barwon Health clinical director for the mental health, drugs and alcohol services Associate Professor Steven Moylan told the Commission recent disasters have further revealed the fragility of the mental health system where people are unable to access services in regional areas.

“What I see is a system that was already broken … especially in the regional areas,” he said. “And [with] the last disasters of the bushfires and the flood have actually shown how fragile

the system actually is … with people essentially being traumatised and not being able

to access the appropriate services all over.”

State-wide community organisations and sporting groups that support mental health and wellbeing were stopped from operating last year and have lost funding associated with activities, which the Commission notes put them at financial risk in the future.

Financial and employment stress, including huge impact on the tourism and hospitality industry, and already isolated people being further isolated by lockdowns were all believed to have contributed to the worsening mental health situation.

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