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Mental health

DunedinJanuary 10

Children’s counselling service ChatBus forced to close

The children’s mobile counselling service ChatBus is closing its doors in the face of rising costs brought on by increasing demand.
Children’s counselling service ChatBus forced to close
Children’s counselling service ChatBus forced to close
DunedinNovember 21

Unconsented ECT numbers soar

The number of patients who had electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) against their will appears to have skyrocketed in New Zealand.
Unconsented ECT numbers soar
Unconsented ECT numbers soar
North OtagoSeptember 4

Group stresses value of reaching out

The difference one person can make by reaching out and connecting with another cannot be underestimated, says the chairwoman of a Waitaki group tackling the issue of suicide.
QueenstownSeptember 18

Art sale boosts foundation coffers

More than $12,500 was raised during an art auction and party in Arrowtown on Saturday night for the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, and to support a cycle tour of New Zealand.
Art sale boosts foundation coffers
Art sale boosts foundation coffers
DunedinJuly 13

Outsourcing result of commission staff cuts

It is "just silly" the now-defunct Mental Health Commission spent $346,800 on a single outside contractor during 2011-12 to develop a mental health plan, Labour MP and mental health spokesman Iain Lees-Galloway says.
Outsourcing result of commission staff cuts
Outsourcing result of commission staff cuts
DunedinMay 2

More community care in mental health, addiction plan

A Southern District Health Board committee approved a three-year mental health and addiction plan yesterday, amid apprehension of tightening funds for mental health.
Central OtagoJuly 30

Support for mental health campaign

A campaign for a mental health facility in Central Otago is gathering support, and all that is lacking is funding.
DunedinJuly 6

Co-existence of problems highlighted

Up to 70% of people who sought help for mental health or addiction problems actually had a problem with both, and the health sector was failing them, those attending a mental health workshop heard.
Co-existence of problems highlighted
Co-existence of problems highlighted
DunedinFebruary 4

Ring-fence formula up for review

The National Health Board has agreed to review the mental health "ring-fence" funding formula for the Southern District Health Board to find out whether an "aberration" is forcing it to overspend in the area, chairman Joe Butterfield says.
Ring-fence formula up for review
Ring-fence formula up for review
DunedinJanuary 23

Concern no patient counselling

A group of Dunedin psychotherapists is concerned there is no counselling service for cancer patients at Dunedin Hospital following a staff resignation, but a limited service will be available from mid-February.
DunedinDecember 13

Different approach for mentally unwell

As Otago's mental-health sector braces for spending cuts, a visiting Italian psychiatrist says the secret of a successful mental-health service is integrating physical and mental health and allowing people access to 24-hour help centres.
DunedinDecember 3

Approaches to liberty fraught with difficulty

Notions of liberty and freedom are problematic when it comes to imposing mental-health compulsion orders, University of Otago law Prof John Dawson told mental-health nurses in Dunedin yesterday.
Approaches to liberty fraught with difficulty
Approaches to liberty fraught with difficulty
DunedinNovember 28

Mental health ward move closer

Approval for the Southern District Health Board's district annual plan means building work should soon begin on the relocation of Dunedin Hospital's acute mental health ward to Wakari Hospital.
DunedinNovember 18

Happiness rates beyond wealth

New Zealand would benefit considerably if more attention was paid to "Gross National Happiness" instead of simply to Gross National Product, a Canadian health specialist, Michael Pennock, says.
North OtagoNovember 12

Safety close to her heart

"If you make a difference for one family, then it's worthwhile." Since the death of her teenage son in 2003, Oamaru woman Helen Algar has been involved in raising public awareness about text-message bullying.
Safety close to her heart
Safety close to her heart
DunedinOctober 7

Health workers get an earful of hearing voices

Confronting mental health staff with the internal voices many psychiatric patients hear was the basis of a workshop hosted by the Southern District Health Board yesterday.
Health workers get an earful of hearing voices
Health workers get an earful of hearing voices
DunedinOctober 5

IHC says clients are not affected by order

The statutory management order on Idea Services will not affect Otago clients or their carers, Otago area manager Daniel Barnett says.
DunedinOctober 1

City clinic 'keeping flame alive'

Psychotherapy was squeezed out of mental health by a management-run "business model", Ministry of Health mental health director Dr David Chaplow told a conference in Dunedin yesterday.
City clinic 'keeping flame alive'
City clinic 'keeping flame alive'
DunedinOctober 1

Concerns over mental health deficit

The Southern District Health Board says a looming mental health care deficit means some services may be reduced as the board seeks to balance its books.
Concerns over mental health deficit
Concerns over mental health deficit
DunedinSeptember 26

'Uses of Sadness' author talks

Western culture seems "afraid of sadness", but this "soulful emotion" actually offers many opportunities for personal growth and development, visiting Australian counsellor and author Karen Masman says.
DunedinSeptember 26

Drug companies 'marketing' illnesses

General Practitioners at a symposium in Dunedin at the weekend were encouraged to educate themselves on medicinal drug risks because they would not get the whole story from pharmaceutical companies, who worked to increase their market, rather than inform it from a balanced perspective.
Drug companies 'marketing' illnesses
Drug companies 'marketing' illnesses
DunedinSeptember 15

Study links maternal illness to schizophrenia risk

Health authorities have another reason to extol the benefits of flu jabs - they might prevent your child from developing schizophrenia.
Study links maternal illness to schizophrenia risk
Study links maternal illness to schizophrenia risk
DunedinAugust 17

Some smoking areas to remain at Wakari

Smoking areas linked to three secure wards at Wakari Hospital will be retained, but four other outdoor smoking areas will be phased out.
DunedinJuly 19

ADHD no 'made-up' disorder

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) had a strong genetic basis and was not the "too-much-sweets disorder", Prof Anita Thapar told a one-day genetics symposium at the University of Otago yesterday.
ADHD no 'made-up' disorder
ADHD no 'made-up' disorder
DunedinJuly 19

'Critic' makes apology

A long-awaited apology from Dunedin student magazine Critic over an article about homeless people in Dunedin has finally made it into print.