Free mental health therapy planned

A new health service is planned for Rotorua to help people with mild depression before their mental illness spirals out of control.

Rotorua's professional mental health services are stretched and the new service may ease the pressure by helping people before they require more intensive treatment.

It comes at a time of widespread publicity about depression through a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign fronted by former All Black John Kirwan about the importance of seeking help for depression.

It has been credited with prompting more people to come forward for help and although Rotorua psychologists and counsellors say they can't attribute high demand for their services to the campaign, they are stretched.

Health Rotorua PHO has secured more than $200,000 to run a two-year pilot programme that could see people experiencing depression or anxiety undergo free counselling or receive free GP visits.

To be launched early next year, it will be available to people who need additional support to cope with depression but don't qualify for severe psychiatric services, a service gap identified by Health Rotorua.

PHO chief executive and Maori mental health manager Eugene Berryman-Kamp said there was a major service gap in Rotorua for people with mild to moderate depression.

On average, one in five Rotorua residents experiences a mental health issue some time in their lives.

Funding exists for the 3 per cent of the population who have a severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia.

People with mild depression or anxiety do not meet the criteria for publicly-funded treatment and, as a result, often do not access services.

Many people seek help from their GP but find they can't afford the cost of counselling or treatment by a clinical psychologist.

In Rotorua, private counselling services start at about $80 an hour, with psychologists charging between $110 and $140 an hour. People on a benefit qualify for financial assistance and some therapy is covered by ACC but many patients have to pay the full cost themselves.

Mr Berryman-Kamp said that without support there was a risk of people's mental health deteriorating to a more serious level which could affect their relationships, families and employment.

"At the moment, there is a gap affecting 17 per cent of our population. There is nothing available for people with mild depression aside from what GPs do now. This initiative should address that gap."

More than half of the country's 80 primary health organisations are already providing early intervention programmes for depression.

Funding for the Rotorua programme will cover the cost of a clinical leader and professional development of GPs and practice nurses so they can better diagnose mental illness. Patients diagnosed with depression or anxiety will be referred to a primary mental health co-ordinator who will further assess their treatment options. That could include providing them with free access to a GP, practice nurse, counsellor or psychologist.

Clinical psychologist Felicity Leach has welcomed the programme. Like most psychologists and counsellors contacted by the Daily Post, she said her practice was "always busy".

However, Ms Leach said the cost of therapy meant there were many people who did not access treatment.

"This is a huge, huge problem. There are so many people I would like to help but I can't because, for some, the cost is too high."

Another clinical psychologist, Katrina Allison, said early intervention was the key to addressing mental health issues and any resource which improved access to treatment was welcome.