Characteristics of Pacific Island People Admitted to a New Zealand Inpatient Forensic Service.

This study describes the characteristics of Pacific Island patients admitted to the Auckland Regional Forensic Psychiatry Service, at Mason Clinic, the largest of five forensic hospitals in New Zealand. Sixty-nine Pacific Island patients admitted over a 9-year period (2009--2017) are described in terms of their sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, access to community mental health care prior to arrest, and their legal history. The majority were men, born in New Zealand, who were single, with poor educational achievement, unemployed, with minimal religious and cultural affiliations, and still living with family prior to the index offense.

Art and mental health in Samoa.

Objectives: To pilot an art and mental health project with Samoan and Australian stakeholders. The aim of this project was to provide a voice through the medium of art for people experiencing mental illness, and to improve the public understanding in Samoa of mental illness and trauma.

Methods: Over 12 months, a series of innovative workshops were held with Samoan and Australian stakeholders, followed by an art exhibition.