Rural and remote emergency aeromedical retrievals are often associated with physical accidents and incidents – but how many call outs are in relation to mental health?
To find out, the Royal Flying Doctor Service conducted an Australia-wide study on the types of mental and behavioural disorders experienced by people that received a retrieval by the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The leading reasons were found to be schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and depression.
As the lead author on research projects including emergency and military medicine, rural and remote healthcare and pathology, Dr Fergus Gardiner has accumulated a wealth of knowledge in clinical practice. Fergus served in the Australian Defence Force before employment in large teaching hospitals and the Department of Health. Fergus is a visiting academic at the Australian National University, were he conducts epidemiology and clinical research, and is also Manager of Research and Policy at the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Tune in as Fergus describes the study conducted, and why people suffering poor mental health in rural and remote areas are more prone to seeking help only once they've hit the point of crisis.