Young people in the Snowy Valleys already grappling with a lack of mental health services have been dealt further emotional blows by bushfires and the coronavirus pandemic.
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They say it is difficult to access psychological support in close regional communities where it feels almost impossible to meet a stranger, and cost-prohibitive to access this support remotely.
Tumut's Lori Webb, 17, loves living in a tight-knit community but says she knows many young people who have always felt they wanted to "escape" from life in a small town.
The Tumut High School captain and vice-chairperson of the Snowy Valleys youth council said this sense of isolation had been heightened for many of her peers who spent weeks away from school during the lockdown.
"For a lot of people school may be their safe place," she said.
"That's put a lot of anxiety on me personally and also people I know."
Ms Webb said young people were struggling to deal with the emotions associated with the year's rolling crises.
The Year 12 student said she had suffered from anxiety for several years and that she did so alone for a long time.
"I never really told anyone. I didn't tell my parents for a while," she said.
She said she was lucky to have friends with similar experiences whom she could talk to.
"I think that all kids should be taught how to support each other when they see someone going through that," she said.
ANU student Caitlin O'Brien, 22, said many country towns "really feel the lack" of mental health services.
"The availability is just not there," said Ms O'Brien, who grew up in Adelong and once sat on the Snowy Valleys Youth Council.
"There's a huge waitlist to see any sort of psychological service. I know the people there work very very hard but they just can't meet demand."
Ms O'Brien, whose parents are both high school teachers, said there had been no relief between the bushfires and coronavirus for a region where mental health issues were already present, particularly for young people who had found themselves "at a loss".
"Suicide in young people is a very big problem in the Snowy Valleys. Those issues were already existing [and] the response to those fires was devastating," she said.
Ms O'Brien said she knew of young people in the region who had taken their own lives and had some close friends who had attempted to do so.
"They're mostly school age young people. I think everyone's at a bit of a loss of what to do now. We know that the community comes together but what to do with that strength is the next thing to work out," she said.
She said the tragedy of a young person's death felt "inescapable" in a small community like those in the Snowy Valleys.
Ms O'Brien said she was looking forward to seeing community events and sporting clubs starting up again as soon as possible, to provide an outlet for young people outside of risky behaviours such as using illicit drugs and alcohol.
She said accessing mental health services was complicated in a regional area.
"If you have two psychologists [in town], if you don't click with one of them, that's it. Those are your options," she said.
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"I think that's something that has been a really big problem for young people as well. If the two people don't work for them, then they stop seeking help and they don't get the help they were after to begin with."
Ms O'Brien said she knew young people who had to "Skype into psychologists in Sydney", which increased "the socio-economic divide in the regional communities".
Ms Webb said living in a regional community often made young people reluctant to reach out to others and seek help.
"I think that even the idea that everyone knows each other can cause these sorts of issues. You feel quite isolated. Everyone knows who you are," she said.
"I think a lot of people have the fear of people finding out that they are going through something."
Tumut High School's head teacher of wellbeing Andrew Somerville said there was "no doubt" mental health services were limited in smaller towns.
"But we are very fortunate that we do have what we have ... There's still less than there could be, but that's the challenge for us." he said.
The school has recently opened a 'wellbeing hub' for its students with the help of government grants.
"What we're trying to really do is increase awareness of what services are available and then we're trying to reduce the barriers to people actually accessing those services," Mr Somerville said.
"There are so many of our kids who don't know that these services are available, let alone being able to access them."
Mr Somerville said the teachers were "putting our energies into supporting students and our families".
"It's challenging because it's not the traditional role of the school," he said.
"But we're finding that, I guess, A. We want to do it. But B. Schools are almost expected or required to play a far bigger role than they ever were."
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