Mental health crises increase fivefold in three yearsAMY BAKER/STUFF 606 pairs of shoes are displayed at Massey University Albany campus for suicide awareness. Earlier intervention to prevent mental health crises is urgently needed as more and more people suffer severe distress. Atkinson said it used to be that a mental health crisis was typically driven by a serious, biological process triggering something like a hyper-manic episode. Mental Health and Addictions clinical executive Marcel Westerlund said saving lives was the top priority as services tried to work together in more innovative ways to relieve the burden of mental illness. Some of the programmes under way included having mental health staff based in the hospital's emergency department and working better with community partners.

Source: Stuff September 04, 2018 05:15 UTC