Mana Tangata by Huia Tomlins-Jahnke

Author:Huia Tomlins-Jahnke
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Huia (NZ) Ltd

Section Three

Māori Health

Chapter Seven

Māori Mental Health: A Māori Response

Dr Te Kani Kingi

Background

The current problems in Māori mental health are well documented. Māori rates of admissions continue to exceed that of non-Māori, and are similarly matched by concerns over service use, how facilities are accessed and overall patterns of Māori admissions. For many Māori, initial contact with a mental health service is through the justice system, via the police or welfare services, and under compulsion. Due in part to this, problems tend to be more acute, are often more difficult to treat, and accordingly result in outcomes that are less positive and more difficult to manage (Durie 1998).

Previous studies have also revealed an over-representation by Māori in acute disorders, and are almost twice as likely to be readmitted compared with non-Māori (Deloitte and Touche Consulting Group 1997). Heavy drug use among young Māori, particularly of cannabis, led to a dramatic increase in drug-related disorders during the 1990s (Te Rōpū Rangahau Hauora a Eru Pōmare 1995). Psychosis and alcohol and drug abuse have also been shown to account for almost a third of first admissions. Readmission rates for affective disorders and psychotic illness have been 36 percent for women and 75 percent for men: higher than corresponding non-Māori rates.1 Schizophrenic psychosis is a common cause of admission for Māori males, and was at one stage almost twice the rate as for non-Māori.

Suicide, a problem that was almost unheard of in traditional times, increased by an alarming 162 percent during the 1980s, and continues to have a dramatic effect on Māori communities (Te Puni Kōkiri 1996). More recently, problems associated with the use of meta-amphetamine have received considerable media attention, and, while information on its use is not extensive, there is evidence to suggest it is becoming increasingly problematic for Māori in particular (Massey University 2005).

Aside from these admission-based statistics, Te Rau Hinengaro: The New Zealand Psychiatric Epidemiology Study has provided additional insight into the actual prevalence of mental health problems within the community. It revealed that Māori in particular suffer from disproportionate levels of mental disorder and bear a significant proportion of the associated burden.

The study revealed that the life-time prevalence of mental disorder among the Māori population was 50.7 percent, with twelve-month and one-month rates of 29.5 percent and 18.3 percent respectively. When compared with other composite ethnic groups and Pacific peoples (that is, non-Māori non-Pacific) a greater proportion of Māori had twelve-month anxiety, mood, substance use and eating disorders. After adjusting for age, sex and socioeconomic circumstances, differences remain between Māori and Pacific people for mood disorders and substance use disorders, and between Māori and others for substance use disorders (Oakley Browne et al 2006).

Introduction

Due to the extent of these problems and the publicity that often surrounds mental illness, one could reasonably assume that these issues have always been a feature of Māori society – that in fact Māori are somehow genetically predisposed to mental illness, or that perhaps cultural factors are to blame. The mere fact that mental health

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.