There were 328 admissions to the Rotorua Hospital mental health inpatient unit in 2020 compared with 296 in 2021. Photo / Getty Images
There were 328 admissions to the Rotorua Hospital mental health inpatient unit in 2020 compared with 296 in 2021. Photo / Getty Images
OPINION
Seventy-two people are waiting for mental health support at the Lakes District Health Board, prompting fears some could "lose their lives". The Mental Health Foundation said some who were "significantly distressed" could die if they did not get the support they needed. But a Rotorua mental health service managersaid the number of people waiting for a face-to-face appointment was "not unreasonable" and challenges posed by Covid-19 had impacted the amount of face-to-face contact that could occur.
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One of our children has been diagnosed with ADHD, a largely misunderstood and negatively perceived neurodiversity. Fortunately, our resources have allowed us to find out about our child's ADHD early and quickly. While things are greatly improved with this knowledge and medical management, her journey is likely to be challenging for her whole life. Not because she is disabled or incapable but I have found the system, both educational and medical, unprepared to recognise and provide services and support for neurodiversity. This is incredibly common and when left to develop will lead to dire outcomes for both the child and the community. Our prisons and hospitals are full of neurodiverse people who could, if recognised and medically managed early in life, go on to lead very different lives. This has become an intergenerational epidemic. Neurodiversity can have a genetic component to it - and most often affects educational outcomes, leading to poorer employment opportunities and less resources for families to get the help they need for the next generation. Not only this, but there is an absolute inadequacy when it comes to specialist help even if you can afford to pay for it yourself. Try to find a private child psychiatrist or psychologist or developmental paediatrician who has an opening to see your child in your city in the next nine months and you can hardly imagine what is facing those in the public system. It is like a war zone triage system - only those very few patients that exhibit the worst injuries but are seen to be viable are treated and the rest, well, you know how it goes… - Sarah M
Wasn't this the Government who was going to end the "mental health crises"?? - Mark C
If any company spent 1.9 billion and had shown no improvements the CEO would be sacked and an investigation opened. Where has this money gone? Why are mental health professionals saying they have seen no change? The AG needs to investigate and make sure the money was spent appropriately and not just on consultants, communication teams and working groups. - Mark Y
- Republished comments may be edited at the editor's discretion.
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