Information about NZ Mental Health Services

Trying to understand a whole mental health service system when you or your loved one is unwell can be daunting.

Here is a brief overview about how you can access services, the different types of mental health services available, treatments, support, recovery and leaving Mental Health Services.

How to Access Mental Health services?

Getting Help from Mental Health Services

Mental health services can be very difficult to get into. There is a huge demand for services in some places and you may have to be in a really bad crisis before they are able to see you.
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What types of mental health services could I use?

Different Mental Health Services Help You in Different Ways

Most people with mental health problems get their treatment and support from their family doctor, but people with more serious or complex mental health problems are often referred by their doctor to specialist mental health service providers. Most of these services are either provided within the community or at your local hospital.
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Roles of Mental Health Workers

Mental Health Workers are there to help you with your struggle

There are various types of mental health workers who have all had different training to meet different needs for treatment and support. In practice however, their roles can overlap quite a lot. You will meet one or more of these people in mental health services. To find out more about their role and what they do
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What treatments could I be offered?

Treatments are for Helping You Regain Your Life

To some extent the diagnosis you are given will determine what kind of treatment you are offered. Many of the treatments offered by mental health services are medical. Your treatment should be part of an overall recovery plan; the treatments you receive may help your recovery but they are only part of the answer.
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What happens if I am under compulsory treatment?

The Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992

This legislation is often referred to as the Mental Health Act. It enables mental health services to compulsorily assess, treat or hospitalise people who the Act defines as having a 'mental disorder'. You must also be found to be a 'serious danger' to yourself or others, or to have a 'seriously diminished capacity' to take care of yourself.

Your psychiatrist can release you from compulsory status at any time during the process of compulsory assessment and treatment.
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What Support could I be offered?

Supporting you for Recovery

Mental health services do not just provide treatment - they also provide support and rehabilitation either in an inpatient setting or in the community. Many services that provide support are run by non-government organisations.
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What is recovery?

Take an active role in putting your life back together again.

Recovery means living positively in the presence or absence of your mental health problems. It is more than just managing your mental health problem. Recovery also means getting back the things you have lost because of your mental health problem, such as friends, your home or your job.
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Leaving Mental Health Services?

An active role in Recovering from mental illness

If you take an active role in your own recovery, and mental health services use a recovery approach, you may be able to get out of mental health services sooner rather than later.
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