Video Transcription

How Bella managed depression living in a rural town

My name is Bella, and I’m 19 years old. I live in Brisbane, but I’m originally from the USA.

My mental health story began when I was quite young, but by the age of 15, I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. It was taking a toll on my academic life and social life. I found it very hard to socialise with my friends and to open up to them, often cancelling plans last minute because I couldn’t deal with what I was going through. I just couldn’t get on with it.

Living in a rural town was a different experience. It has a really good sense of community, and everyone knows everyone, which is nice. But that can also be a double-edged sword. If someone finds out that you’re going through a hard time, the whole town will know.

In rural towns, issues such as mental health are still very stigmatised and not talked about openly. Going to doctors to ask for a mental health care plan is something you don’t really do—they’ll try to talk you out of it. We don’t have resources like psychologists or psychiatrists visiting, so they don’t know where to refer you, or how to help you. It’s not something easily accessible like it might be in the city.

As someone living in a rural area, I definitely turned to the internet for help. That’s where I found ReachOut, just through a simple Google search. It helped me realise that my issues were real and that they needed to be seen by a professional.

It was a hard road, but I got there eventually. I’m significantly better than I was four years ago, and that’s because of therapy, medication, and finding support through online resources such as ReachOut.

Video by Reach Out