MP for Ōtaki, and Minister for Mental Health and Associate Minister of Health
Dear Mr Costley and Mr Doocey
Failure of Mental Health Service
I am writing to inform you of the failure of the public mental health service to provide appropriate care and treatment for my daughter. The failures are at both the local and national level of the system. The community is impacted and concerned, as evidenced by 400 responses to my recent social media post (Waikanae Community Information.) This submission asks you to take action to protect my daughter and the community. Police have been extensively involved for 18 months, as has the Criminal Justice system.
Diagnosis
My daughter aged 32 years, received a diagnosis of Histrionic Personality Disorder in October 2023. This disorder is characterized by chronic emotional dysregulation, which means she becomes overwhelmed by strong emotions which she is unable to control. This results in behavioural responses that can range from mildly anti-social and unconventional to angry outbursts involving smashing of windows and objects.
Treatment
The recognised treatment for personality disorders is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. In NZ there is a National DBT Service which is run by Te Whare Mahana Trust in Takaka. This is an intensive residential treatment programme . The consultant psychiatrist who diagnosed my daughter recommended that she be referred to this service and the referral process began while she was hospitalized in October 2024. The Kāpiti Community Mental Health Team (KCMHT) took over the referral process when she was discharged to community care at the end of November 2024. I have been advised by the community team that the DBT service has rejected my daughter’s referral.
Community Care
KCMHT is not able to provide the intensive care, treatment, and support that my daughter needs. They can offer one Psychologist visit weekly. There are no day programmes or peer support programmes in Kāpiti. Pathways, a mental health support provider has been able to offer 1.5 hours in home support a week. There are no residential facilities in our region that can care for my daughter. I am 70 years old, and have been struggling to be all things to my daughter for almost 18 months.
Police , Emergency Services, Courts, and Arohata Womens Prison
My daughter is currently on Remand in Arohata Womens Prison. Due to my daughter’s escalating behaviour, we have fallen under the Family Harm category, and a Bail condition is that she must not contact or associate with me. Because she is not able to live independently and requires 24 hour care and support, and because there are no residential facilities that can accommodate her, Courts have had no option to remand her to Prison again. She spent two periods at Arohata Womens Prison last year.
Community Impact
My daughter’s predicament is well known in the Waikanae community and wider Kāpiti community. Just a week ago, members of the public at Paraparaumu Beach called emergency services when she made another attempt to swim to Kāpiti Island. She has been rescued by the Coastguard on two occasions.
My daughter first started going onto people’s properties and jumping on their trampolines and picking flowers from their gardens. This was when she first came to the attention of Police. This behaviour escalated into going inside peoples houses and using their showers, spa pools, and helping herself to food from their fridges. She has amassed over 50 Trespass Orders. In the past 3 weeks she has been charged with Wilful Damage. In the month of January alone, Police have been called out over 20 times.
I have used social media to talk to the community about my daughter’s mental health diagnosis, and to seek their support and understanding. I have expressed our growing frustration with mental health services at both the local and national level.
Intervention
Please can you help in some way to help my daughter get the help she needs and wants. She was deeply disappointed when she heard that the Golden Bay programme rejected her referral. This is poignant because feelings of rejection and abandonment contribute to the emotion disregulation that propels her troublesome and criminal behaviour.
Thank you for reading and listening. I request a meeting with you to problem solve this distressing situation that is affecting so many individuals and groups in the community.
Yours sincerely,
Edwina Allen, Waikanae
