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Too many young people experiencing acute mental distress are being admitted to adult inpatient mental health services, Te Hiringa Mahara Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission says.
A new Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission report looked at trends among people aged 12 to 17 and where they were being admitted.
It found in the last year,159 youth were admitted to adult mental health inpatient services - one quarter of young people who were admitted for inpatient mental health care.
Te Hiringa Mahara board chair Hayden Wano said the findings were unacceptable.
"It needs to be zero. Adult and youth mental health inpatient services are fundamentally different, and young people experiencing distress should not have to choose services that are not age-appropriate because there is no better alternative close to their whānau and home.
"We are pleased to see considerable reduction in the rate of young people admitted to adult inpatient services over the last decade. However, systemic changes are required, with committed leadership and a detailed action plan for responding to young people experiencing crisis and acute distress.
"Young people have told us they want to see a wider range of options to address youth distress across Aotearoa. This includes more age-appropriate community-based services and alternatives to hospital based inpatient mental health care; kaupapa Māori options to meet the needs of rangatahi Māori; and more youth-centric short-term respite services."
The report calls for the government to investigate the practice of using adult mental health services for rangatahi Māori and young people.
Wano said he wanted rangatahi Māori and young people to have the best possible care and to avoid any potential harm that may occur when admitted to adult services.
That was only possible if there were age-appropriate services available for young people across Aotearoa, he said.