Rugby World Cup connection for local mental health support initiative

22/11/2011 | Depression

Depression - thanks to the John Kirwan-fronted campaign targeting this unseen illness and hidden disability, awareness has increased markedly.

It’s an awareness that Manawatu Supporting Families in Mental Illness is well-placed to tackle.

An entrant in the Emerging Health Service of the Year category in last month’s MidCentral District Health Board’s Health Awards 2011 for its Connections with Hope programme. Supporting Families in Mental Illness started up the programme in the wake of the Ministry of Health's 2006 initiative featuring the high-profile ex-All Black and Japan Rugby World Cup coach.

The overall campaign message has been that depression is common and serious – affecting some six-percent of the New Zealand population in any one year, but it is treatable.

Since 2008 under the governance of ManawatuSF, Supporting Families in Mental Illness Manawatu has run seven free 10-week, two-hour programmes a year, principally for those who act in support of family and whanau members who have a mental illness or addiction issue.

Supporting Families manager, Christine Zander-Campbell says Connections with Hope filled a real need for those who found themselves in a caring role, but who were either developing depression, or were being affected by mild to moderate depression as a result.

“Because of the on-going and continuous stresses placed on those in a caring role – they’re constantly picking up the pieces following crisis after crisis – they were hitting the depressive stage too. There was a real need to support people developing depression and who couldn’t afford or who couldn’t access help.”

Christine adds that the programme is open to anyone with mild to moderate depression, not just families involved in caring.

Incidentally, the Connections with Hope group-based programme, confined to 10 people at any one time, uses cognitive behaviour therapy, referred to in Kirwan’s book, All Blacks Don’t Cry.

“The group approach has been the big success. From the feedback we’ve received, it’s helped participants realise they are not alone; that they face similar issues; it made them feel they could cope better, and it lead to them creating their own informal support networks and connections.”

Although Supporting Families did not win their category, Mrs Zander-Campbell said entering the 2011 DHB Health Awards was an extremely worthwhile exercise as it helped the service focus on its successes.

“Filling in the Health Award application was great to do, because it showed that we made a real difference in people’s lives – brilliant.”

Annually, Connections with Hope runs three sessions in Palmerston North, two in Horowhenua and two in Tararua, offering refresher courses at the beginning of each year.

Facilitated by clinical psychologist Robyn Boyd and Supporting Families’ social worker Claudia Nicholson who has adapted the cognitive behaviour approach for Māori, the programmes have enjoyed a positive response, especially in Tararua.

Clients are generally referred from other health agencies, but are also self-referred from community paper adverts, and by word-of-mouth. Applicants are then assessed for eligibility.

“In any group there are usually a couple of males who are self-referred. Admitting they need help is particularly hard for males, but they stayed and got a great deal out of it,” Ms Zander-Campbell said.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Christine Zander-Campbell (06) 355-8561; christine@manawatusf.org.nz; www.manawatusf.org.nz
Horowhenua: (06) 368-6116; iloma@manawatusf.org.nz
Tararua: (06) 374-8797; claudia@manawatusf.org.nz
Ministry of Health National Depression Initiative http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/national-depression-initiative

Contact: Communications Unit (06) 350-8945