Some young Southlanders are being referred to school guidance counsellors for mental health support as the system struggles to cope, Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds says.

“Southern DHB wait times for young people needing mental health support have increased by 61 per cent since 2017.

“In 2016/17 the wait time to access mental health services in Southland was 18 days, by 2019/20 that had ballooned out to 29 days, now I understand the wait time in this province is up to two months.

“But some young people - not serious enough to be seen by the DHB’s Child, Adolescent and Family mental health Service - are instead being referred back to school guidance counsellors.

“Unless these young people have a mental health disorder that is classified as moderate to severe, their care is being passed on to their local schools.

“This effectively means a young person’s mental health has to become quite serious before they can get the help that they need - while our schools are left to pick up the pieces.

“One local couple said their child was initially denied support by the Southern DHB and referred back to their school counsellor. It wasn’t until their daughter expressed suicidal thoughts that she was actually seen by Southern DHB staff.

“This highlights how broken mental health services are and is a sorry reflection on a Government who is not prepared to put its money where it’s mouth is.

“The staff and the clinicians are doing their utmost to care for our young people, but are finding that the lack of Government funding support is running this crucial service into the ground.”

Mrs Simmonds said she would be supporting today’s third edition of Gumboot Friday - an initiative raising money to provide free counselling for young people.

“It’s disappointing that despite campaigning on improving New Zealand’s mental health services, the Government has failed to make a difference.”