Barriers and drivers in mental health services in New Zealand: current status and future direction

Abstract

In New Zealand, mental health issues have created a ‘silent epidemic’ with diverse consequences in mental health outcomes. Poor mental health state along with inequities to access services are persistent. Key areas of mental health promotion in New Zealand that require constant attention are appropriate policymaking, reaching out to all communities, interventions at the individual level, and the complexity of the mental health system. This commentary evaluates the inadequacies faced by the public in accessing mental health services and the directions to improve in the future. It also reviews the New Zealand government’s ‘Like Mind, Like Mine’ program, aiming to provide socially inclusive services to people to live a life free from mental health-related stigma or discrimination.