Kaleb was 13 when he started smoking marijuana, and within a few years he and his brother were also using ice.
Then his girlfriend took her own life and just a few years later, in 2020, his brother died from a drug overdose.
Despite growing up in the idyllic seaside town of Noosa, Kaleb, at the age of 24, has battled drug addiction and mental illness for over a decade.
“Growing up here, I can say that the culture of the coast kills,” he said.
Mental health advocates have told ABC that poor access to mental health services is leaving the region’s youth struggling.
Kaleb, whose last name has been withheld for privacy reasons, said it had been difficult for him to access support.
“When I was young, around 13 years old, I started smoking weed, that’s all I did until I was 17 years old.
“I first touched ice with my brother, and I dealt with it for a good six years.”
When Kaleb tried to access free rehab, he had to travel three hours to a public facility on the Gold Coast.
He found that most of the mental health centers in Noosa that could help him were private.
While this may not be a problem for Noosa’s wealthier residents, many young people cannot afford local services or attend other more affordable services in the region.
Noosa’s only hospital is private and does not include a mental health ward.
People experiencing a mental health emergency would have to travel to Nambour, about 45 minutes away, to go to the nearest public hospital with a mental health ward.
For youth without access to a car, this means more than an hour in an expensive bus or taxi or carpool.
‘What is provided does not cover the needs’
Noosa psychologist Amberley Meredith said this has been a long-term problem in the seaside town.
“Not only is there a gap in services, but I think what’s being provided doesn’t meet the needs,” he said.
“It’s often delivered in a way that suits the organizations that are delivering it, rather than the young people who need to access it.”
Kaleb said there was also serious stigmatization of mental health in the Noosa community.
“They [the government] I don’t see it,” Kaleb said.
“There is not enough understanding, help or resources here in Noosa.”
Australian Counseling Association CEO Philip Armstrong said this problem is not limited to the Sunshine Coast.
“Noosa is a snapshot. You could go anywhere, particularly on the east coast, and you’ll find exactly the same problems,” he said.
Armstrong said these problems include a lack of accessible public mental health facilities and the high fees charged by private doctors.
Telehealth services expanded to provide support
Even with reimbursement from Medicare, a one-hour appointment with a psychologist can cost between $90 and $150.
An appointment with a psychiatrist can cost several hundred dollars an hour.
“The wealthier you are, the more likely you are to have access to a mental health service against Medicare,” Armstrong said.
“That’s not how Medicare was designed, it was supposed to be the other way around.”
Noosa State Independent MP Sandy Bolton said the system must change to include accessible and timely mental health services for young people.
“The combination of a housing crisis, business pressure and the impacts of COVID such as separation and uncertainty have led to unprecedented demand. We need to find a way to alleviate this situation,” said Ms Bolton.
“It’s a combination of a shortage of professionals and the system itself. If we could use counselors to reduce wait times, that would help our communities.”
LNP federal member for Wide Bay, Llew O’Brien, said the centralization of health services was “very worrying”.
“It means that people in Wide Bay often have to leave their home and community and travel to Nambour or Brisbane to access medical services,” he said.
Unlike psychologists, counselors cannot currently provide Medicare reimbursement for their services, even though they also offer talk-based therapy.
Seeking to ease the pressure on overburdened psychologists, Armstrong has advocated for counselors to be covered by Medicare.
“None of these people can offer services to youth in exchange for reimbursement from Medicare. And it’s criminal for the government to not allow these people to help young people on the Sunshine Coast,” Armstrong said.
‘It is better to deal with prevention’
Telehealth and online services could be a solution to minimize out-of-pocket costs and streamline referral processes for youth struggling with mental health issues.
Mr O’Brien said the region’s Primary Health Network funds Youturn, based in Tewantin, to provide a headspace mental health service to provide free consultations to young people aged 12-25 in Noosa.
“While the headspace office is located in Maroochydore, their services cover Noosa and consultations are available in person, online, via telehealth, phone and email, and webinars,” he said.
University of Queensland psychology professor Judith Murray said the main problem is the privatization of mental health.
She said a shift to clinical psychiatry’s privatized diagnostic model has reduced resources for counseling.
Last year’s ABC Australia Talks survey found that 52 per cent of 18-24-year-olds said their mental health had worsened since the start of the pandemic.
Kaleb said he still hopes for change in his community.
“It is the mental health of young people that needs support, they need someone to talk to, they need someone who understands them,” he said.
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