Holistic view urged by trust manager

THE Government inquiry into mental health and addiction needs to take a broad view, encompassing factors which cause or exacerbate patients’ problems, a mental health trust manager says.

‘‘What we get from people who see us is, yes, there are issues with accessing services and falling through the gaps and that needs to be done better,’’ Otago Mental Health Support Trust manager Grant Cooper said.

‘‘But what also comes back to us is that people need things like warm housing — if people have those places, it has a positive effect on their mental health . . . and employment as well.

‘‘It needs to be a holistic approach, not just looking at mental health services per se, but looking at how we look after the mental health of the community in general.’’

The Otago Daily Times is canvassing opinion from local people with an interest in mental health and addiction issues before the inquiry’s sessions in Southland and Otago, at the end of this month, and asking what they would say if they had a chance to talk to the panel.

Mr Cooper said earlier intervention would help everyone who faced mental health and addiction issues, as well as treatment providers.

‘‘We need to do more to support people’s wellbeing, to make them feel they are contributing to society — and that helps society as well,’’ Mr Cooper said.

A key part of making early intervention succeed was to destigmatise mental health and addiction, Mr Cooper said.

The inquiry had a valuable part to play in that, encouraging people to tell their stories and help normalise mental health and addiction issues.

‘‘We don’t hear enough stories of people with issues and how they cope with them, as people can live well, even with current symptoms,’’ Mr Cooper said.

‘‘It’s important for people to tell the inquiry their stories of when things have gone wrong, but it’s also really important that people put forward what would be better — what are some of the answers they they have seen?’’

Ministry of Health research has found almost half the population had had some experience of mental health issues or distress, he said.

‘‘People need to be able to talk about their own stories of distress, because these issues are incredibly common,’’ Mr Cooper said.

‘‘People then won’t be so afraid [of] it . . . we need more people like [former All Black] John Kirwan talking about this, who can manage these things really well and are successful in their work.’’

Employers also had a role to play, and one day it should be as routine taking time off to see a counsellor as it would be to see a GP, and at no detriment to the employee, Mr Cooper said.

He also would urge the inquiry to place greater focus on peer support services, as it helped enormously if people with lived experience of mental distress could assist people with similar experiences.

‘‘We do have antistigma campaigns such as ‘Like Minds Like Mine’, but we need more around things like alcohol and drug use, because the stereotype and prejudices against people with alcohol and drug issues are huge.’’

The inquiry into mental health and addiction sits in Invercargill on May 28, Oamaru on May 29, and Dunedin on May 30.

The inquiry is due to report back to Health Minister David Clark by October 31.