Photo: RNZ
Thousands fewer young people are getting specialist mental health and addiction care despite rising demand, new figures reveal.
Data released today by Te Hiringa Mahara-Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission show 16,000 fewer people were seen by specialist services in the year to June 2024, compared to a peak in the year ended June 2021.
Two-thirds of the gap - more than 10,000 people - were those aged under 25.
In 2023/24 there were 176,261 people who used specialist services, which is more than 3000 fewer people than in 2022/23 (179,472), and nearly 11,000 fewer than 2018/19 - the first year of data the commission had analysed.
Commission chief executive Karen Orsborn said the decline in people being seen was not due to falling demand.
"Levels of need are increasing in the community, but people are really struggling to get access to services when they need them."
This was largely due to workforce shortages coupled with the increasing complexity of people's needs, she said.
It was particularly concerning that so many fewer young people were accessing specialist help, said Orsborn.
Those aged 19 to 24 experienced the largest relative decrease, with 1368 fewer people in that age bracket seen in the last year.
"We know that youth services are under particular pressures around the workforce, but also there are increasing rates of distress for our young people," Orsborn said
"We're seeing those rates of distress increase significantly, both in New Zealand but also globally, so that's certainly a big challenge."
Some mental illnesses also had their onset when people were young, which put increasing pressure on youth services, she said.
The government's mental health workforce plan, published in September, did not specifically address shortages in youth services.
"That's one of the areas that we'd like to see much more focus on in terms of that workforce plan," she said.
Te Hiringa Mahara-Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission chief executive Karen Orsborn Photo: Supplied
Orsborn was also concerned about the overall downward trend in the number of people being seen.
In the past year, the decrease in access was entirely related to mental health services, rather than addiction services, which actually saw slightly more people in 2023/24 than the year prior.
Across the population, this represented an access rate of 3.3 percent, down from 3.4 percent in 2022/23 and 3.8 percent in 2018/19.
In June 2024, the commission made recommendations for government and health agencies to take urgent action to speed up improvements in critical areas.
One of its recommendations - a study to understand rates of mental illness among young people - was announced in Budget 2024.
Three other recommendations had been made to Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand, and the Commission would be keeping a "close watch" on progress.
"We want to see some real, tangible focus on improving access, particularly for our young people," Orsborn said.
"That needs a really concentrated effort and some leadership that involves services, clinicians and the young people having a voice so everybody working together to really address those issues and make that difference for young people and their families."
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