‘Back to basics’ for GPS, nurses
Doctors in Marlborough are being urged to get ‘‘back to basics’’ by checking on the diet and exercise of mental health patients instead of going straight to medication.
A more holistic approach to mental health treatment has been mooted by health bosses in the top of the south, as mental health patient numbers outstrip inpatient beds.
Nelson Marlborough District Health Board member Judy Crowe said physical and mental health were inextricably linked, so doctors and nurses should be checking diet and exercise regimes before prescribing medication.
‘‘There is a growing awareness in traditionally-trained nurses and GPS, and a lot of new information coming out about how a healthy gut and good physical health can affect mental health,’’ Crowe said at a board meeting last week.
‘‘If you have physical health problems, you’re more likely to have mental health problems, and vice versa. What’s being done within mental health to get clinical people to understand they have to go right back to basics and look at how people are eating and sleeping and exercising, instead of going straight to medication?’’
Mental health, addictions and disability support service general manager Jane Kinsey said she would ‘‘endorse’’ Crowe’s call for a holistic approach to mental health treatment.
‘‘People with mental health issues do have poorer physical health outcomes,’’ Kinsey said.
‘‘There’s that link to the Choosing Wisely campaign, which I think will bring benefits to people in mental health. It’s all about informing people about what’s prescribed to them, and asking whether they need it.’’
The international campaign encouraged health professionals to have good conversations with patients to improve decisions and outcomes.
‘‘And then there’s making sure physical health is addressed during that conversation as well,’’ Kinsey said.
A report on the district’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, presented at last week’s board meeting, said the service had a ‘‘high waiting list’’ over the past three months.
The service accepted 31 clients in Marlborough and 57 in Nelson in February.
Thirty-seven people were referred to addiction services at Wairau Hospital, in Blenheim, in February, while 38 were referred to addiction services at Nelson Hospital.
The mental health inpatient unit at Nelson Hospital was at 103 per cent occupancy, with 29 admissions and 25 discharges, in February.
Kinsey interpreted the figures as showing more people reaching out for help, she said.
‘‘It’s good if people are accessing the service. The message we’re trying to push, especially in the mental health space, is that it’s so important people access treatment early,’’ Kinsey said.
‘‘And that’s also important for addictions, so as not to have the effects of long-term drug use.’’
Chairwoman Jenny Black said mental health and addiction was ‘‘an area of such concern for our community’’.
‘‘Our service is, at a primary level, being responsive, and to respond in a timely fashion.’’