Mary says it’s important for healthcare providers to understand health issues, especially mental health, in a wider societal context and in relation to extended family or whānau.
“Mental distress, such as depression and anxiety, may be symptoms of other things going on in the person’s world.” This could include issues such as trauma, poverty, problems in the family or unaddressed physical health issues.
“Stigma is the biggest issue we have to deal with,” she says regarding mental health. “If you have a physical illness, that’s acceptable, it’s no one’s fault. However, if you have a brain illness, you are treated very differently. It’s really important that you treat the whole person because every organ is interconnected.”
Mary has developed her understanding of how to live well with mental distress from seeing both her parents cope with depression, as well as through her own experience of depression and her work helping others to live well with mental health issues.
She has previously worked for Capital and Coast DHB as a consumer advisor, as well as for Women’s Refuge, and is now an independent mental health advisor.
Drawing on her experience of what has worked for herself and other people, Mary has developed some practical advice to help you support your mental wellbeing, especially on the worst days when doing anything is challenging.
