10.2 Mental health Te hauora hinengaro
10.2. Mental health | Te hauora hinengaro
It is difficult to directly observe the numbers of people experiencing mental health issues. However, we can observe treatments.
10.2.1. Medications for depression | Ngā rongoā mō te pōuritanga
Many common mental health conditions are treated with pharmaceuticals. We can use dispensing records as an indication of the prevalence of mental health conditions.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most prescribed type of antidepressant. They are used to ease symptoms of moderate to severe depression.
Health New Zealand’s published data starts at 2020, so we do not have a pre-pandemic baseline. Pharmaceutical dispensing of SSRIs increased steadily between 2020 and 2024, both in terms of the total number of units dispensed and the number of people receiving them (Figure 138). Dispensed units rose each year, reaching its highest point in 2024. The number of people receiving SSRIs also grew, although at a slower rate, suggesting that individuals were receiving a larger volume of units on average. Overall, the data indicates rising use of SSRIs across the population.60
Figure 138: Antidepressant use in New Zealand, 2020–2024
Users and volumes dispensed of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
Source: Health New Zealand I Te Whatu Ora, Pharmaceutical Data web tool, https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/forhealth-professionals/data-and-statistics/pharmace
10.2.2. Specialist mental health services | Ngā ratonga mātanga mō te hauora hinengaro
The number of people using specialist mental health services increased gradually from 2012/13 to a peak around 2020/21 before declining over the following years (green line in Figure 139).
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission attribute the decline in numbers of people accessing specialist mental health and addiction services between 2018/19 and 2022/23 to "the increased pressure on the workforce due to high vacancies, and a focus on caring for those with higher and more severe needs".61
Face-to-face specialist services (orange dashed line) followed a similar pattern but with a more pronounced drop from 2020/21 onwards, possibly reflecting the impact of COVID-19 restrictions and the shift toward alternative modes of service (Figure 139).
Figure 139: Clients of mental health and addiction specialist services in New Zealand
Clients of specific service types, per 100,000 people, 2012/13 to 2023/24
Source: Programme for the Integration of Mental Health Data (PRIMHD), https://tewhatuora.shinyapps.io/mental-health-and-addiction-web-tool/
Notes:
1. Data refers to financial (July–June) year. Stages of COVID-19 relate to year in which financial year ends. Rates per 100,000 population, standardised to the World Health Organization's standard world population.
2. Face-to-face services are a subset of total specialist services. In many cases, the sum of clients accessing services may exceed the total number of unique individuals accessing services reported. This is because some clients may be counted under multiple categories. For example, a client may be seen both by a District (former DHB) and an NGO service provider; may have been seen by multiple different team types; may have lived in two residencies with different deprivation quintiles; and so on. The totals reported here count the total number of unique clients for the relevant category, rather than double-counting clients that fall under multiple categories.
The data indicate that service delivery adapted to pandemic-related constraints, with shifting patterns between in-person and remote modes of care delivery. Onsite services dropped sharply in 2020/21 and then partially recovered in subsequent years (Figure 140). By contrast, telephone-based services rose substantially during the pandemic years, before declining again as onsite services began to resume. Residential, community, and domiciliary activities all exhibited moderate decreases around 2021/22. Inpatient activity remained relatively stable across the period.
Figure 140: Selected mental health support activities provided in New Zealand, by activity setting
Activities provided (000s), by activity setting, 2012/13 to 2023/24
Source: Programme for the Integration of Mental Health Data (PRIMHD), https://tewhatuora.shinyapps.io/mental-health-and-addiction-web-tool/
Notes: Data refers to financial (July–June) year. Stages of COVID-19 relate to year in which financial year ends.
60 Note that we have not adjusted for population increase or ageing.
61 Te Hiringa Mahara New Zealand Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, *Kua Tīmata Te Haerenga | The Journey Has Begun—Mental health and addiction service monitoring report 2024: Access and options*, (Wellington: Te Hiringa Mahara, 2024), https://www.mhwc.govt.nz/news-and-resources/kua-timata-te-haerenga/