Virtual Psychologist CEO recommends regular servicing of one's mental health

"If you have a tractor or a car, you always service it so it does not fall apart when you most need it so why don't you do that for your emotional wellbeing," said Virtual Psychologist CEO Dervla Loughnane.

Ms Loughnane said she was expecting a lot more inquiry if dry conditions continued, but thought it would be a delayed response.

"We normally only see things when they get to crisis point," she said.

"It's a bit like the frogs in the hot water so while we all see the problem building up it's not until people are at absolute breaking point that they start to reach out."

Ms Loughnane, however, believes people should reach out for help a lot sooner.

"We strongly recommend to everyone just text in, do a bit of a wellbeing check - just check how your sleeping is going, your appetite, your focus, we just do a really nice well being check," she said.

"Even if it's just for a chat, we're really just trying to bridge the gap between mental health being stigmatised and mental health being part of life," she said.

"So we really encourage people to act now before they reach the boiling point of the hot water."

Ms Loughnane said people could contact the booking service for an appointment by texting 0488 807 266 or going through WhatsApp.

People can book their own appointments after hours and will be offered either a text, video or audio appointment.

"So it's not just a text although the majority of people in rural areas tend to stick to text as it's non confronting and it feels more comfortable for them," she said.

Ms Loughnane said people could also contact the service during office hours and talk to staff to make an appointment and could have a session that same day if there was availability.

"Since 2017, we've had thousands of people use our service," she said.

"After the last significant drought, I would say the majority of our users were farmers...as we were funded by government for the Monash zones of 4-6 which were pretty much all those areas (of drought)."

So as the hotter and drier weather starts to bite, her advice to farmers is: "Don't wait, reach out now."

"It's just like having your tractor serviced - get it serviced now before it comes a time when it's broken and you most need it."

The Virtual Psychologist connects rural people with mental health professionals that is anonymous, convenient and instant.

In 2018, the Federal Government provided $1 million in funding for the service, but that has since ceased so it once again has to rely on the generosity of the public to remain viable.

Only last month, more than $45,000 was raised for Virtual Psychologist at an all-day event organised by Rural Women Unite in Charters Towers.

The Modified Monash Model is how the Federal Department of Health and Aged Care defines whether a location is metropolitan, rural, remote or very remote with category 1 being a major city and category 7 deemed very remote.