The Ministry of Health has published the 2024-25 Office of the Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services Regulatory Report.
The report presents data about the use of compulsory assessment and treatment in New Zealand and helps the Ministry to understand the quality of compulsory care that our mental health, intellectual disability, and addiction services provide.
The Ministry plays an important role in monitoring these services to ensure that people undergoing compulsory assessment, care and treatment are receiving high-quality care.
The report also helps to identify where changes and improvements may be needed to ensure people receive appropriate care.
The 2024/25 report shows that the demand for mental health, intellectual disability, and addiction services continued to be high. However, for this reporting period, there were 366 less people compulsorily assessed or treated compared to the previous year (2023/24).
The total number of people who have been secluded and the total hours people spend in seclusion decreased from 2022/23. However, it's important to note that these numbers will fluctuate from year to year depending on individual circumstances.
The new Mental Health Act which comes into effect in 2028 eliminates seclusion for those aged under 18 and the Ministry remains committed to working with Health New Zealand and the Health Quality & Safety Commission to reduce seclusion over time and eventually eliminate it.
Key findings for the period from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 include:
- 11,129 people (6.0% of specialist mental health and addiction service users) were subject to the Mental Health Act over the year. This is a decrease from 6.5% over 2023/24.
- About 5,281 people were subject to either compulsory assessment or compulsory treatment under the Mental Health Act on the last day of the year.
- Of all people subject to compulsory treatment, 74% were treated in the community and 26% in an inpatient setting.
- Males were more likely to be subject to the Mental Health Act than females.
- Across the different age groups, people aged 25-34 years were the most likely to be subject to compulsory treatment, and people aged under 14 or 65 years and over were the least likely.
- Māori were more likely to be assessed or treated under the Mental Health Act than Pacific peoples and other ethnicities.
