Embargoed until the Government has announced the Budget for 2000/2001

Today’s budget included an increase in baseline funding for mental health totalling $257m over the next four years, starting with a $27.4 million increase in 2000/2001.

Dr Barbara Disley, Chair of the Commission said, "This is very good news for people who use mental health services and their families. The incremental funding increases over the next four years mean the mental health sector now has certainty about the Government’s commitment to increase the levels and quality of services as well as develop a stable infrastructure.

"It’s good news for Maori who use services and work in services. Maori have specific cultural needs and existing kaupapa Maori services have developed frameworks and models that assist recovery of people with mental illness.

More money will mean more appropriate cultural services can be developed for and by Pacific people who already have a strong but small network of mental health services.

In a briefing paper to the Minister of Health earlier this year the Commission recommended that an increased funding path was needed for the mental health sector to keep moving towards meeting Blueprint expectations. The Blueprint gives the range, quantity and quality of services needed to meet the needs of people with serious mental illness.

"The gaps in mental health cannot be addressed overnight because of the workforce shortages. However, having a clearly identified funding path for the next four years will allow all regions to continue to develop services," she said.

"The new money will allow for the much needed workforce growth and training, and over the next few years people will increasingly see that a career in mental health will be a very good and satisfying option," said Dr Disley.

There will be more money for anti discrimination programmes for people with mental illness, since it is now well recognised that discrimination is one of the major barriers to recovery from a mental illness. The new money will also go into forensic services, child and youth services, alcohol and drug services, residential and rehabilitation services and the expansion of additional services.

Mental Health Funding

For more information call Tessa Castree on 04 474 8918 or 025 249 2405.

 "The inquiry into the incident involving Johnny Manu found that his mental illness was controlled and the mental health services Johnny Manu used had provided him with good service, said Chair of the Mental Health Commission, Dr Barbara Disley.

"It is important for people to recognise that Johnny Manu had problems outside his mental illness that were not the responsibility of mental health services. He was found guilty of murder because the Court deemed that he knew what he was doing when he committed the murder."

Dr Disley said that his mental health requirements need to be met while he is in prison, but it its also important that his other problems, like his violent behaviour, are addressed as well.

"While it is good to see the report acknowledge the progress that has been made in mental health services, it also made some clear recommendations about what could be done better to support people like Mr Manu who have very complex needs," said Dr Disley.

She reinforced the reports recommendation for better communication and coordination between mental health services and other services, recognising, she said, that there are complexities around the sharing of health information and criminal record information.

"This report highlights once again the real housing needs in South Auckland for people with mental illness and other vulnerabilities. The Commission has recently visited a number of boarding houses in the area with the Minister Housing and whole-heartedly supports the Manu report recommendation that action on this be a priority, Said Dr Disley.

For more information call Tessa Castree 04 474 8919 or 025 249 2405.

 The Mental Health Commission is distributing The Discrimination Times during Mental Health Awareness Week.

What is The Discrimination Times?

The Discrimination Times: a report on an investigation of print news media (re)presentation of people with mental illness.

It looks like a real newspaper - it is real news.

The Discrimination Times is the report of the Commissions survey of 805 newspaper clippings published in 1997 and 1998 and comprehensive survey of news media over the last three years.

It describes what is published about mental illness, people with mental illness and mental health services. It explores how newspapers present people with mental illness to its readers.

It identifies blind spots and shining lights in newsprint (re)presentation of people with mental illness and how improvement can be made.

Why do the research?

1. People get most of their information about mental illness from the media. 1 Therefore the Commission wanted to get a clearer picture of how the media are portraying people with a mental illness, because this information affects everybodys understanding of mental health and mental illness. It also affects the levels of social exclusion of people with mental illness by the community.

2. The news media significantly contributes to the political, social and community environment in which the mental health strategy is being implemented.

3. The News Media is part of a solution to the problem of discrimination against people with mental illness as well as being part of the problem.

The research question

We wanted to see how papers and magazines in New Zealand are representing people with mental illness to its readers: positively, negatively or neutrally (ie, has no potential affect on the readers view of people with a mental illness).

We were not looking at how the news media represented services, or government policy to its readers.

Some of what we found out (About newspaper clippings which mention mental health or closely related topics.)

1. Most (57%) clippings represent people with mental illness neutrally some (9%), are positive, a third of clippings (35%), are negative and too many (5%) are unacceptable or what we would describe as discriminatory.

2. Most of the material that is unacceptable contains quotes generated from the mental health sector.

3. The Sector does have a voice, 80% of the clippings included quotes from one of the following groups, mental health workers, administrators, family groups, community groups or consumer groups.

4. 1 in 5 (20%) of the articles about mental health issues contain mention of violence. This shapes the overall context of news media about mental health issues, giving the reader the wrong impression that there is a strong link between violence and mental illness.

5. A clipping is 3 to 4 times more likely to be positive if some one with experience of mental illness is quoted.

6. Family issues are sometimes misused in the news media to denigrate and trample on the representation of people with mental illness. These undermine both families and general mental health issues.

What to think about

1. Negative and inaccurate media about services are not desirable, however it is far worse and not at all acceptable to denigrate and stereotype people.

2. Everyone has a role in creating the picture that the news media paints for the public, so check out in the scan how your group is contributing in terms of representation of people with mental illness. We (the sector and media writers) do influence what is published.

3. Quote consumers, or help ensure consumers are quoted in articles as this IMPROVES the chance of positive representation 3 to 4 times.

4. We are aiming for balance not censorship. Journalists, editors and people talking to the media need to think about the context of articles, not just the isolated content.

5. Positive stories do get published so keep feeding them and restore the Balance, Telling personal true stories works.

6. We know that people need to be included in their communities to recover from a mental illness.

Copies of The Discrimination Times are available from the Commission, 04 474 8900, info@mhc.govt.nz, P O Box 12479, Wellington

For more information contact:

Tessa Castree 04 474 8919, 025 249 2405

The Business Research Centre research in 1997 showed that the news media was the main source of information for the public about mental illness. The research was done for the Ministry of Health, Public Health Unit as part of the HFA Anti discrimination campaign. Contact Damiane Rikihana, Huia Communications 04 494 1832 for more information.

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