Imagine being in the throes of an acute mental health episode and having to travel to an unfamiliar place, thousands of kilometres from family and friends, for life-saving treatment.

Key points: A study has found 2,257 patients were transferred by the RFDS between 2014 and 2017 for mental or behavioural disorders

A study has found 2,257 patients were transferred by the RFDS between 2014 and 2017 for mental or behavioural disorders Sixty-two per cent of the patients were men and 35 per cent identified as Indigenous

Sixty-two per cent of the patients were men and 35 per cent identified as Indigenous The average distance patients travelled was 406km, but trips could reach up to 2,000km

This increasingly common reality for Australians in rural and remote communities has prompted renewed calls for more specialist clinicians in the country.

As researchers urge governments to "rethink" their approach, one Indigenous psychologist is leading the charge to address the gap in care.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) has long been acknowledged as a lifeline for country people.

But the degree to which rural residents, especially young people, are relying on the service for urgent mental health treatment has not been known, until now.

Lifeline for the bush

A study by the RFDS has found that 2,257 patients were transferred by the aeromedical service between 2014 and 2017 for mental or behavioural disorders.

Sixty-two per cent of the patients were men, 60 per cent were under 40 years old and 35 per cent identified as Indigenous.

The majority of retrievals were for serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and substance abuse problems.

The average distance patients had to travel was 406 kilometres, but trips could reach about 2,000km.

The number of retrievals grew from 309 per year to more than 1,000 over the course of the study.

Co-author Mathew Coleman, from the University of Western Australia, said the results showed a desperate need to invest in clinical specialists in the regions.

"It's a call to arms for governments at [state and federal] levels to reinvest in rural and remote communities," Associate Professor Coleman said.

"There is a huge unmet need for people in regional and remote communities who are not able to access basic services, let alone specialist services."

Desperate for help

A region crying out for more clinicians is Western Australia's far north, where the rates of suicide by Indigenous children and young people are among the worst in the world.

University student Nikki McKenzie, from Derby, is on her way to becoming one of the region's first locally based Indigenous psychologists.

Nikki McKenzie is determined to return to her community to help reduce suicide rates. ( Supplied: Alana Blowfield )

After experiencing the loss of relatives and friends to suicide, the 32-year-old said she was determined to make a difference.

"I'm the first in my family to go to university, the first in my family to want to go into an area of suicide prevention," she said.

"Derby is home, the Kimberley is home and it's the whole reason why I decided to be a psychologist, to go back home and support my community."

After considering a career in social work, Ms McKenzie decided she wanted to address the issue from the highest possible position.

"Instead of supporting psychologists, I actually wanted to take a lead role in my community."

Indigenous leadership

Ms McKenzie is one of five recipients of the Dr Tracy Westerman Aboriginal Psychology Scholarship.

Dr Westerman, a renowned Indigenous psychologist, said the key to reducing the level of chronic mental health conditions in regions like the Kimberley was training local people.

"Back-to-back coroner's inquiries, every report says the same thing — our remote communities have a lack of access to specialist services," she said.

"You begin to heal the moment you feel your pain is heard … [Indigenous psychologists] don't have to struggle to understand what it's like to walk a mile in a black person's shoes.

"I want to build an army. I want hundreds of Indigenous psychologists under this scholarship so I can mobilise them out to communities."

Ms McKenzie at a ceremony with Kim Beazley, Tracy Westerman and Curtin University Vice-Chancellor Deborah Terry. ( Supplied: Alana Blowfield )

Associate Professor Coleman said the disparity in health care between regional and metropolitan Australia exacerbated patients' suffering.

"These are lifelong mental health problems that people can recover from, but they need accessible resources at a local level rather than waiting until crisis point where they have to be evacuated," he said.

"People in metropolitan areas don't understand how distressing being evacuated outside your support networks can be if you're acutely unwell.

"Australia has been a leader in the area of youth mental health services, however they largely exist in metropolitan areas."

The Federal Government announced $1.45 billion in spending on mental health measures in the last budget, including $263 million for Headspace.

A $48-million Aboriginal suicide prevention trial, designed to find community-led solutions in the worst-affected areas, is due to conclude next year.

Model for the future

To bridge the gap in service provision, governments have been introducing Telehealth — a kind of video-conferencing technology allowing city-based doctors to reach patients in remote clinics.

Associate Professor Coleman said his study indicated these approaches were a band-aid solution and could not compare with face-to-face medical attention.

"We were all hoping that [Telehealth services] were going to save the day, but it's quite clear that the rates of retrievals have been increasing," he said.

"We need to be training more people in the regions. It's a brain drain from communities that need a sustainable workforce."

He said Dr Westerman's program was "a model for the future".