Structural discrimination in the COVID-19 vaccination programme for people with mental health and addiction issues: now is the time to be equally well.

People with mental health and substance use issues (tāngata whai ora katoa), regardless of ethnicity, are much more likely to be hospitalised or die from COVID-19 and were identified as a priority population (Priority Group 3) in Aotearoa New Zealand's vaccination roll-out plan. Data released by the Ministry of Health show that, despite tāngata whai ora katoa being a priority group, their vaccination rates are well below those of the general population. These inequities are pronounced for Māori with mental health and addiction issues (tāngata whai ora Māori).

Psychometric Properties of a New Decision-Making Capacity Assessment Tool for People with Substance Use Disorder: The CAT-CAT.

Individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) often present with cognitive impairments, which may impede their ability to make decisions for themselves, including treatment-related decisions. It is therefore important to assess whether individuals with SUD have adequate decision-making capacity. Indeed, there have not been any capacity assessment tools tailored for use with SUD populations that demonstrate adequate psychometric properties or that have the strong ethical foundation that is required of capacity assessment tools.

Addressing structural discrimination: prioritising people with mental health and addiction issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Structural discrimination worsens physical health inequities and significantly reduces life expectancy for people with mental health and addiction issues. Aotearoa has recently made some notable changes in health policy by formally recognising the physical health needs of people with mental health and addiction issues. The COVID-19 vaccination sequencing framework provides an important opportunity to protect and promote the health of people with addiction and mental health issues.

Addressing structural discrimination: prioritising people with mental health and addiction issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Structural discrimination worsens physical health inequities and significantly reduces life expectancy for people with mental health and addiction issues. Aotearoa has recently made some notable changes in health policy by formally recognising the physical health needs of people with mental health and addiction issues. The COVID-19 vaccination sequencing framework provides an important opportunity to protect and promote the health of people with addiction and mental health issues.

Hazardous drinking and general practitioner visits in the past year.

Aim: To quantify the relationship between any general practitioner (GP) visit and hazardous alcohol use, and whether this differs by sociodemographic factors.

Method: Hazardous alcohol use (scores 8+ Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) and any past year GP visits were examined using 2016/17 New Zealand Health Survey data from 13,598 adults. Sub-group analyses examined whether the association differed by age, sex or ethnicity (Māori/non-Māori), and socioeconomic status (NZDep2013) in post-hoc analyses.

People who experience seclusion in adult mental health inpatient services: An examination of health of the nation outcome scales scores.

The Health of the Nation Outcomes Scales (HoNOS) provides an overview of a person's behaviour, impairment, clinical symptoms, and social functioning. This study investigated the profile of people who had been secluded in New Zealand's adult mental health inpatient services using 12 individual HoNOS ratings. Routinely collected clinical data were extracted from the Programme for the Integration of Mental Health Data (PRIMHD).