May 04, 2022
Pregnancy suicide preventable
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The head of Māori public health advocacy group Hapai Te Hauora says the high rate of suicide among pregnant or post-natal Māori women is absolutely preventable.
A study by the Helen Clark Foundation released for Perinatal Mental Health Awareness Week found suicides of wahine Māori were three times the rate of non-Māori and accounted for more than half the overall total.
Selah Hart says that’s hugely distressing, and what’s needed is accessible support services that come without the stigma associated with mental distress.
“There is a huge stigma and discrimination wrapped around mental health, mental well being or mental distress bad or mental distress and by looking at the statistics, it tells me the health system isn’t supporting those whānau in those critical moments and we are losing whanau to suicide because of it,” she says.
Selah Hart says she supports the recommendations in the Āhurutia Te Rito report including expanding kaupapa Māori programmes which focus on improving whānau wellbeing during the perinatal period and funding the new Māori Health Authority to enable a Māori, to Māori, by Māori commissioning approach.