Balance Whanganui service manager, Rana Aston, said there was a significant increase in demand for mental health services last year. Photo / Bevan Conley
Balance Whanganui service manager, Rana Aston, said there was a significant increase in demand for mental health services last year. Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui health leaders say what their organisations are dealing with on the front line is consistent with a recent uptick in callouts for mental health emergencies.
Statistics released by St John last week revealed a 67 per cent increase in mental health/suicide attempt calls for help in the Whanganui districtlast year, compared to 2020.
Whanganui District Health Board chief executive, Russell Simpson, said police, non-governmental organisations, and DHBs had also seen an increase in mental health issues over the past 12 months.
"I would view that as a positive because it means more people are willing to ask for help.
"There has been an increased awareness of mental health and addiction services across New Zealand, and the more people know about these services, the more they tend to access them."
"I also know that most of the services in Whanganui, such as Mental Health and Wellbeing Support and Te Oranganui, also have capacity."
But she said the question remained whether there were more people with mental health issues, or if the community was getting better at looking for help.
"And, are we getting better at spotting it and offering help? Are we becoming better at referring people to the right place?"
Aston said Whanganui was blessed to have St John, Whanganui DHB Mental Health Assessment and Home Treatment Service, and police working tirelessly to respond to people in crisis.
Whanganui DHB chief executive, Russell Simpson. Photo / File
"We are wanting to share the load and step in to do that work alongside them. We are slowly figuring out how to do this."
She thought the stigma around asking for help, especially among males, was decreasing, and having several male staff members at Balance made them more willing to get in contact and feel welcome.
"One of my goals has been to ensure men are comfortable receiving our service and feel heard. I think we are really living this."
The effect of Covid-19 protocols was a contributing factor in the rise in people needing mental wellbeing assistance, Aston said.
"We are facing the reality, as we have seen around the world, of losing our jobs and the ability to have our basic needs met, or losing family members and people close to us."
Wearing a mask had also impacted community connectivity.
St John calls for help were up by 7.7 per cent in 2021. Photo / Bevan Conley
"For some people, their only human contact is visiting the library or going to the shop, and now everyone wears a mask and stands away from you," Aston said.
"There are plastic screens and X's where you have to stand, and it's difficult to hear people, to read people, and to see people are smiling at you."
Balance Whanganui had adapted well to Covid-19 restrictions, with more online groups and face-to-face meetings outside, she said.
"We are flexible, and there are new exciting things happening, whether it be lifestyle and fitness activities, support groups in different platforms, or even a fishing group.
"If I could say anything to the community it would be, just reach out, we are here and we are really keen to support in any way we can.
"Let's have a cup of tea and a chat, we are listening."
There were 8273 incidents with an emergency vehicle response in 2021, up 7.7 per cent from 2020 (7678 incidents).
Simpson said emergency room transfers, as opposed to the number of call-outs, was what created pressure at the Whanganui Hospital.
A total of 22,417 patients came through the Whanganui emergency department from July 2020 to June 2021.
In 2019/20, there were 21,163.
"In terms of our new patient admissions to mental health, in 2019/20 (July to June) we had 257 and in 2020/21 we had 254, so there's actually a negligible difference there," Simpson said.
