ALYSSA BETTS
08.07.2006

WE have relationship stress, we have financial uncertainty, we have panic attacks and we have suicide watch.”

Health professionals such as Doctor Maura Harvey at The Imbil Clinic are preparing for the worst as anxiety and stress levels over the Traveston Dam have begun to unpick tight knit Mary Valley communities.

“At least 90% of my adult presentations of recent times have had dam-related stress,” Dr Harvey said.

Sunshine Coast Local Medical Association president Dr Wayne Herdy said that people whose emotional or financial security were under pressure experienced symptoms like sleeplessness and blood pressure problems and that they were under “increased risk of having acute medical emergencies like heart attacks and strokes.

 He said he had seen the effects of anxiety and stress on Sunshine Coast sugar cane farmers when the Nambour sugar mill closed down and farmers were dealt a second blow when the State Government urban plans were released, preventing some from selling their land to developers or subdividing it.

“We saw the farmers coming in a certain amount of emotional turmoil.”

“Now these are mostly fairly resilient fellows. In order to be a farmer you’ve got to be emotionally resilient, but obviously these people found this very stressful,” he said.

Kenilworth Surgery’s Dr Ian Matthews said he had seen an increase in sleeplessness and anxiety in patients.

He said he expected these complaints would increase once the dam was a certainty, and he would probably treat more cases of anxiety and depression, increases in blood pressure and ulcers or other problems.

The Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Water has contracted an external counselling agency for those affected landholders in the district, but it would not reveal how many had accessed the service to date.

A department spokesperson said the counselling agency would not give out the numbers due to client confidentiality concerns.

However, Save the Mary River Coordinating Group campaign strategist Kevin Ingersole said the department was simply giving out the “mushroom treatment”.

“The anecdotal indications from statements that I’ve heard people in the department make indicates quite a lot are accessing the service,” Mr Ingersole said. He said the stress and anxiety were taking their toll on traditionally tough locals.

“I see men who’ve been on the land all of their lives with tears in their eyes trying to contain the absolute anger over the way they feel they’ve been treated.”

Valley subjected to physological warfare