Internet Proving Vital for Rural and Regional Mental Health Support

Mental Illness is a serious matter, and fortunately the world is beginning to prioritise and recognise the need for accessible mental health support. With a huge country like Australia, which has a lot of remote and rural areas, providing support can prove difficult – until now.
According to ABC News, people suffering from mental illnesses who live in inaccessable places can now have access to health support thanks to the internet. Previously, those looking for support for their mental illness required knowledge of the existence of a supportive group in their area. Unfortunately, if you live in remote and rural places, there’s a high possibility that these groups don’t exist.
As the Internet becomes more accessible, the development of “peer-to-peer support” groups act as a virtual version of real life support sessions and communities.
Jack Heath, the chief executive of SANE Australia, remembered a situation made much less common by having online resources.

 “When my young cousin developed schizophrenia, we weren’t walking into the local country post office or newsagent and saying, ‘Is there someone here who’s been dealing with these challenges?'”

According to statistics, there are currently 690,000 Aussies living with complex mental illnesses and it’s not only them that need support, but their loved ones as well. Mr Heath advised that some of these people are using the SANE Online Forums to get the support they need.
Other than peer-to-peer support, counselling is now also possible online, via the use of web calling program Skype. Australians who live in remote and rural areas have a hard time accessing these types of help, making online and remote counselling a life saving development for some.
When it comes to dealing with mental health, personal support and counselling are very important, which is why when online peer-to-peer support groups and Skype counselling were made possible, it brought huge relief to Australian sufferers who had a hard time accessing this type of help before.
This of course, are only possible if a home has access to a fast and stable connection, which is now more possible thanks to the nbn^®‘s satellite internet.
Are you or a loved one suffering from a mental illness? Please call BeyondBlue on 1300 22 4636 for 24/7 counselling, or Lifeline on 13 11 12.
The NBN’s Sky Muster satellite brings better satellite internet connectivity to regional  Australia. To get onboard Sky Muster, call Activ8me today 13 22 88 or visit: https://activ8me.net.au/internet/skymuster