Mental illness ‘stigma’

Press, 10 April 1981, Page 22

Mental illness ‘stigma’

PA . Auckland The number of Maoris suffering from mental illness could double in the next 10 years-unless they work to prevent it, says the medical superintendent of Carrington Hospital. Dr Fraser McDonald said the latest mental health statistics showed that 33 per cent of urgent admissions to mental hospitals were Maoris. Europeans were getting better at recognising signs of metal illness early and seeking treatment, but Maoris tended to deny the signs, until the situation “blows up” Dr McDonald said. “Maoris still have terrific feelings of stigma about mental illness. There is a tremendous amount of denial in the family, and they don’t admit to themselves that their problems may be psychological.” When a problem did “blow up” the result was often dramatic.

Increasing numbers of Europeans were getting out-patient treatment from community houses attached to mental hospitals before their problems became serious enough for admission, but this was not working for Maoris, said Dr McDonald. Maori mental illness would have to be the main area for attack in the next 10 years, but advances could not be made without "preventive systems” set up by Maoris themselves. Using the marae system, to help deal with drug addiction. had already started in Auckland, Dr McDonald said, and this could be extended to other areas. Alcoholism among

Maoris could be the main stress on children, he said. “You have to have an extraordinarily healthy, well set up family to stop alcohol blowing it apart.” Maoris tended not to seek treatment for alcoholism early enough, and did not respond well to European forms of treatment. The most recent figures available showed that in . 1978 one out of every 570 Maoris was admitted to a mental hospital compared with one out of every 722 non-Maoris. Alcoholism was the cause of 16.9 per cent of all Maori first admissions, compared with 20.4 per cent of non-Maoris.