Counselling services and crisis hot lines have reported a spike in calls in recent months due to Australia's ongoing bushfire disaster.
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Lifeline has seen a 10 per cent increase in the number of calls made to its crisis line across the country during December, spiking to as high as 14 per cent above average call numbers on some days.
Volunteers at the mental health support and suicide prevention hotline have been asked to increase their hours due to the demand for support.
The spike in calls comes as a dedicated bushfire recovery line will be set up by Lifeline in the next fortnight, following a $1.5 million funding boost from the federal government.
The bushfire recovery line will operate for at least a year.
"Most of the increase in calls have originated from areas affected by the bushfires," a Lifeline spokeswoman said.
"Many of the call themes have involved current experience of fires or re-traumatisation from previous bushfire seasons.
"We know that mental health effects will be long-term and that any strategy to respond effectively must be set up for the long-term."
While Beyond Blue has said it was too early to determine whether there had been an increase in overall calls to the service due to the bushfires, extra resources were being rolled out.
A spokeswoman for the organisation said Beyond Blue had seen an increase in bushfire-related discussion on peer-to-peer online forums.
There have been almost 400 unique posts on the topic since November 2019.
"Beyond Blue's support service counsellors have been briefed and provided with bushfire-related counselling resources to ensure people are provided with appropriate information and advice," the spokeswoman said.
"The mental health impacts of bushfires can take time to emerge and Beyond Blue is actively monitoring the situation and preparing to deploy resources as required."
The number of calls taken by the Kids Helpline service has remained static during December and January compared to previous years.
However, the helpline says call zones have been re-allocated to prioritise bushfire-affected areas.
In the wake of the bushfires that have devastated large parts of NSW, the state government launched an $11 million package focusing on mental health.
A further $76 million was announced by the federal government for mental health support.
NSW Mental Health Minister Bronnie Taylor said support for victims in the months ahead was a critical task.
"The fires seared deep into the emotional well-being of impacted communities with many people suffering deep distress," she said.
"We deployed extra mental health teams to affected areas in the immediate aftermath and they are still here, but we know recovering is a long road and we are there for the duration.
"It is often months down the track when we see a spike in mental health challenges and we will stay flexible to ramp up extra support when it's needed."
Ten free counselling sessions have been offered for those in affected communities at mobile centres and disaster welfare assistance points.
As school goes back for another year, the NSW Department of Education said it was working with schools in bushfire-hit areas.
Students will be able to received mental health support and counselling services.
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800