Psychiatrist Stephen Proud's plans for a quiet life in Busselton were interrupted when he was "overloaded" by the demand for mental health services.
Dr Proud says he is getting 10 new referrals a day and already has 4,000 people on the book at his private practice.
He has hired a child psychiatrist from the United Kingdom to help meet demand but there is already a waiting list to access her services.
"If you're under the age of 16 the Perth Children's Hospital is not too bad at getting you in but if you are 16 to 25, to get into Fiona Stanley is almost impossible."
There is a 30-bed acute psychiatric unit at the Bunbury Regional Hospital which provides inpatient mental health services seven days a week.
Plan to fill mental health gaps
Over the past few years Dr Proud has been developing a proposal for a public-private inpatient unit in Busselton to address gaps in the mental health system.
The proposed centre would provide acute care alongside wraparound services for people with complex conditions.
Former Busselton woman Finlaey Hewlett has been navigating the mental health system in the South West for almost a decade and said not much had changed when it came to mental health services.
"I eventually ended up having to fork out the money to seek private health services in Busselton," she said.
"We didn't really have the money but we had to make it work."
But that private health service was only available by driving to Perth city, three hours away.
Call for focus on preventative services
The 19-year-old has moved to Perth but said the number of young people dying by suicide in the South West was"despicable".
"There have been a lot of bereaved and grieving parents who I have spoken to and reached out to and it's honestly been heartbreaking," she said.
She said funding for prevention was crucial to fill gaps in the mental health system.
"There is no denying that we do need further support in the clinical scene, I definitely think, to relieve the strain on our emergency rooms," Ms Hewlett said.
A spokesperson for the WA Country Health Service said the service had preliminary meetings with Dr Proud and looked forward to work with him into the future.
Dr Proud hopes to have the inpatient centre operational in two years.
