On average, Australians living in rural and remote areas have shorter lives, higher levels of disease and injury, and poorer access to and use of health services compared to those in metropolitan areas.
So, how can we improve mental health accessibility to people living in rural and remote areas?
This podcast guest, Dr Joseph Dunn, qualified Psychiatrist and medical superintendent has a solution – to get on the road.
Joseph is the author of three books, one of which sold 40,000 copies in seven languages. In 2011, he founded a national mental health charity, Psychs on Bikes, involving motorcycle-riding mental health professionals devoted to reducing the burden of psychiatric illness in rural and remote Australia. He has since ridden his Kawasaki more than 50,000 km around Australia, including three rides from Perth to Sydney.
Since its inception, Psychs on Bikes has delivered more than one thousand one-on-one free health checks in rural and remote Australia, as well as mental health support, advice, and awareness seminars.
Published by the Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association