Child mental health service ‘in crisis’

WELLINGTON: Health Minister Andrew Little has acknowledged children’s mental health services are in crisis, with ‘‘huge pressure’’ as young people struggle to get the help they need.

In the past decade, the number of young people taken to hospital emergency departments because of a mental health incident has risen 177%.

But underfunding and understaffing has meant specialist mental health services cannot keep pace with demand, according to a briefing revealed yesterday as part of an investigation into New Zealand’s mental health system.

Mr Little has had the document since September.

Asked yesterday whether it showed the mental health system was in crisis, he said it was ‘‘close to it’’.

‘‘It’s under huge pressure,’’ he said.

‘‘There are areas where I know young people in particular

are struggling to get the specialist attention that they need, waiting a long time to get it — that is in crisis.

‘‘Children and adolescent mental health services are in crisis.’’

He was already aware of the issue because of the amount of correspondence he received from families of young people who struggled to get help, he said.

‘‘We’ve known our mental health service has been underfunded and run down for a long, long time.’’

The Government had put resources into the system, focusing on mildtomoderate mental health issues and that was starting to make a difference.

But attention had now turned to the acute and specialist end of the mental health spectrum, which was clearly in need.

Of 900 new mental health specialist roles, 111 were specifically targeted towards young people while other resources were being put into schools and institutions such as prisons.

The programme was about twothirds of the way through and was making a difference.

But there was a ‘‘massive shortage’’ of clinical psychologists and psychiatrists.

The Government was recruiting from overseas and investing in training in New Zealand. It would take seven to 10 years for someone to be fully trained, he said.

‘‘We’re doing everything we can to get people into those senior roles.’’ —