Kaleb was 13 when he began smoking marijuana and within a few years he and his brother were also using ice.
Then his girlfriend took her own life and just a few years later, in 2020, his brother died from a drug overdose.
Despite growing up in the idyllic beachside town of Noosa, Kaleb, at the age of 24, has battled drug addiction and mental illness for more than a decade.
"I can say from growing up here, that coast culture does kill," he said.
Mental health advocates have told the ABC poor access to mental health services is leaving the region's youth struggling.
Kaleb, whose surname has been withheld for privacy, said he had found it difficult to access support.
"As a young fella, about 13, I started smoking weed, that's all I did till I was about 17.
"I first touched ice with my brother, and I dealt with that for a good six years."
When Kaleb tried to access free rehabilitation, he had to travel three hours to a public facility on the Gold Coast.
He found that the majority of mental health facilities in Noosa that could help him were private.
While this may not pose a problem for Noosa's wealthier residents, many young people are unable to afford local services or attend other more affordable services in the region.
Noosa's only hospital is private and does not include a mental health ward.
People experiencing a mental health emergency would have to travel to Nambour, about 45 minutes away, for the nearest public hospital with a mental health ward.
For young people without access to a car, this means over an hour on a bus or a costly taxi or rideshare fare.
'What is being provided isn't meeting the needs'
Noosa-based psychologist Amberley Meredith said this has been a long-term problem in the beachside town.
"Not only is there a gap in services, but I think what is being provided isn't meeting the needs," she said.
"It's often delivered in a way that suits the organisations that are delivering, rather than the young people who need to access it."
Kaleb said there was also a severe stigmatisation of mental health in the Noosa community.
"They [the government] don't see it," Kaleb said.
"There isn't enough understanding, help or resources, here in Noosa."
Australian Counselling Association CEO Philip Armstrong said this issue is not limited to the Sunshine Coast.
"Noosa is a snapshot. You could go anywhere, particularly on the east coast, and you will find exactly the same problems," he said.
Mr Armstrong said these problems include the lack of accessible public mental health facilities and the high gap fees that private practitioners charge.
Telehealth services expanded to provide support
Even with a Medicare rebate, it can cost anywhere from $90 to $150 for an hour-long appointment with a psychologist.
An appointment with a psychiatrist can cost up to several hundred dollars an hour.
"The more affluent you are, the more likely you are to get access to a mental health service against Medicare," Mr Armstrong said.
"That was not the way Medicare was designed — it was supposed to be the other way around."
Independent state Noosa MP Sandy Bolton said the system needs to change to include accessible and timely mental health services for youth.
"The combination of a housing crisis, business duress and the impacts from COVID such as separation and uncertainty have led to unprecedented demand. We must find a way to alleviate this situation," Ms Bolton said.
"It's a combination of a shortage of practitioners, and the system itself. If we could utilise counsellors to reduce wait times, that would assist our communities."
Federal LNP Member for Wide Bay Llew O'Brien said the centralisation of health services was "very concerning".
"It means that people in Wide Bay often have to leave their home and community and travel to Nambour or Brisbane to access medical services," he said.
Unlike psychologists, counsellors are currently unable to give Medicare rebates for their services, despite also offering talk-based therapy.
Seeking to take the pressure off over-stretched psychologists, Mr Armstrong has advocated for counsellors to be covered under Medicare.
"None of these people are able to offer services to the youth against Medicare rebates. And it's criminal that the government doesn't allow these people to help the youth on the Sunshine Coast," Mr Armstrong said.
'You're better off dealing with prevention'
Telehealth and online services could be a solution to minimise out-of-pocket costs and streamline referral processes for young people struggling with mental health issues.
Mr O'Brien said the region's Primary Health Network funds Tewantin-based Youturn to deliver a headspace mental health service to provide free consultations to young people aged 12 to 25 in Noosa.
"While the headspace office is located at Maroochydore, its services cover Noosa and consultations are available in person, online, via Telehealth, telephone and email, and webinars," he said.
University of Queensland psychology professor Judith Murray said the main issue is the privatisation of mental health.
She said a shift towards the privatised, diagnostic model of clinical psychiatry has reduced resources for counselling.
The ABC's survey Australia Talks last year found that 52 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds said their mental health had worsened since the beginning of the pandemic.
Kaleb said he still hopes for change in his community.
"It's youth mental health that needs support, they need someone to talk to, they need someone that understands," he said.
