The Mental Health Commission Connecting for Greater Wellbeing

Vision A nation in which all New Zealanders have the means to to sustain their mental health and wellbeing, and where anyone experiencing mental illness and/or addiction is able to access high quality, responsive services.

Setting the Scene Mental health and addiction problems are common High prevalence among youth, Maori

The Commission’s role Monitoring progress of implementation of Te Tahuhu and exemplars and issues in the sector Providing leadership Facilitating collaboration Advocating for change Being an independent voice for the MH sector Promoting research, service development and best practice.

About the Commission Started with 1996 Mason Inquiry into mental health services Term extended to 2015 in 2007 –Crown Entity » Minister of Health Functions: monitoring, research and advocacy Three Commissioners

Ray Watson / Bice Awan Wealth of clinical and leadership experience.

Achievements: looking back Developed the Blueprint (1998) Articulated needs of service users Monitored sector to ensure mental health funds allocated to mental health services Advocated successfully for a substantial increase in mental health funding Challenged traditional models of care and championed recovery Raised awareness of mental illness.

Opportunities: looking forward Help the sector achieve goals and meet the challenges of Te Tahuhu - the National Mental Health Strategy Advocate for greater responsiveness to service users and their families / whanau Contribute to the Mental Health Act review Work with the sector to integrate emerging evidence and models of care into practice Increase public’s understanding of mental health Promote recovery approaches and collaboration in policy, service development and delivery

Broader Context Te Tahuhu Te Kokiri Te Hononga

Responsive services that meet needs Connecting – physically, socially, spiritually Promoting strengths and resilience Facilitating collaboration within health and between health and other agencies impacting on mental health Supporting Recovery – self-determination, social inclusion, hope and choice Mental health and wellbeing for all

Wellbeing WHO definition of mental health – not just the absence of illness but presence of well-being. What does mental health look like?

Realising the Vision Strengths based Recovery orientated Full continuum of specialist and generalist services Greater integration of policy, funding and service delivery Services matched to communities Capitalising on IT developments Increased focus on wellness and well-being

Wellness and Serious Mental Ilness Life expectancy years < general population Atypical anti-psychotics cause diabetes and metabolic syndrome Smoking associated with lung disease and cancer Co-occuring substance abuse 40-60% Poor diet and lack of exercise Stigma, discrimination and negative symptoms lead to loss of opportunity and capacity

Programs for people with SMI Recovery and wellness orientation Monitoring physical state and blood chemistry Exercise programs Diet and food preparation Stress management and relapse prevention CBT and motivational interviewing for positive symptoms, anxiety/depression Psycho-education Life coaching > case management

By 2015 each of us will be able to state with confidence: …through my words and actions I showed my belief in the person’s strengths. I behaved in a way that was truly respectful, while accepting that the future is both uncertain and full of hope...

Contact Us Ph Website: PO Box 12479, Wellington 6144, New Zealand.

Chair Commissioner Dr Peter McGeorge Child, adolescent and general psychiatrist 30 + years as clinician and manager of mental health services

What it might look like: 1 15 year old Ani isn’t coping at her new school, but has the support of her parents, friends, basketball coach, school nurse, Maori community worker, and youth speciality services. She talks to someone else who’s been through the same thing and joins a kapa haka group. She feels connected to other people and knows they support her journey back to wellbeing.

What it might look like: 2 Sam began hearing voices shortly after starting his first job. His cousin persuades him to seek help after finding him muttering, throwing things, swearing and threatening violence. Sam spends some time in hospital being stabilised and then returns home. His cousin, support worker, GP and psychiatrist work together to support and care for Sam – and his boss keeps his job open until he’s ready to return to work.