As Kiwis deal with the fallout from extreme weather events and the rising cost of living, demand for mental health services has reached an all-time high.
Hato Hone St John recently revealed they received 11,345 calls for an ambulance which were mental health related incidents in 2022 – a three per cent increase on the previous year when it had grown by 31 per cent.
While the sharp increase in calls seen when Covid-19 was at its peak has slowed, the nonetheless “massive” numbers show every Kiwi needs to be vigilant with regards to mental health, says St John Mental Health Public Training Lead Jordan Shearer.
“Just as we’d go to the gym to look after our bodies, or we’d provide care for a friend struggling with a physical disease, we also need to protect and foster mental fitness both in ourselves and others,” she says. “You don’t need to have a diagnosed disorder to nurture your mental health — every single one of us has mental health. It’s important to understand our own to support others with theirs.”
As Mental Health Awareness Week approaches (September 18-24), Hato Hone St John will continue to deliver their mental health first aid training courses for anyone 18 and over who wants to learn more about coping strategies and fostering mental fitness — and to learn skills to help others experiencing mental distress.
The courses are aimed at individuals and businesses and have been running since the pilot programme launched in 2018, with new materials added to the course since its nationwide roll-out in 2019.
They provide people with the opportunity to “reflect on the load they’re carrying in their day-to-day lives,” says Shearer. They also look at ways each person can offset potential triggers to mental suffering by finding things that bring them joy. This could be as simple as spending time in nature, engaging in a gratitude practice or karakia/prayer, connecting with friends, cooking a meal or learning a new skill.
“It doesn’t have to be big or time-consuming or expensive,” says Shearer, “but it does have to be right for you. We can build our wellbeing every day. Even if you’re in the supermarket and you take a person’s trolley back for them, it’s random acts of kindness that have an effect, not just on others, but on our own wellbeing.”
Exercise is a clinically proven way to alleviate mild to moderate depression but, again, Shearer says it needs to be a workout or regime that the individual enjoys. The course also covers holistic wellbeing models addressing Māori and Pasifika mental health.
When it comes to helping others, it’s not always easy spotting the signs of mental distress — unlike a cut or broken bone, there’s often no explicit evidence that someone you know could be suffering. Subtle changes in behaviour or mood and signs of withdrawal are things to be wary of, says Shearer, and addressing these in a sensitive way can potentially make a huge difference to someone, even if our initial instinct is not to interfere.
“We do tend to keep things close to our chests in Aotearoa, but connection is a huge part of providing support to somebody under mental distress,” she says. “This is why it’s important to build those connections in our day-to-day lives.”
Although many organisations have adopted mental health support services, people can still be reluctant to use them, she adds. Therefore, it’s vital to create a culture in the workplace of open-mindedness and empathy which helps to remove the stigma around mental health challenges, so they’re less likely to escalate.
“Investing in mental health matters. When we put the time and energy into mental health and wellness, there are huge returns. It creates increased performance and productivity and builds better relationships within the workplace.”
Even for those who are willing to look out for others’ mental wellbeing, not everyone knows how best to handle situations in which a friend or colleague is in mental distress, she says. The course provides practical strategies so people can feel more confident in helping others deal with everyday difficulties right through to crisis situations, and how to eventually guide those people towards professional help.
For more information and to book a course either in-class or online visit: stjohn.org.nz/mentalhealth