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Recent weather events have taken a toll on the mental health of New Zealanders, with some feeling a range of emotions from anxiety, sadness, anger and even survivor’s guilt, experts say.
A panel of mental health experts answered reader questions on how to manage and deal with distress following Cyclone Gabrielle, flooding and other recent serious weather events across Aotearoa.
The panel featured psychiatrist Dr David Codyre, Health New Zealand’s Jo Chiplin and Dr Ainsleigh Cribb-Su’a and was held in Stuff’s Auckland newsroom on Friday.
Codyre said, as expected, there are a lot of people struggling with a range of emotions.
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Stuff
A panel of mental health experts will sit down with Stuff health reporter Hannah Martin to answer reader questions on how to cope following Cyclone Gabrielle. L-R: Dr Ainsleigh Cribb-Su’a, Jo Chiplin, and Dr David Codyre.
“I’ve heard from people who say they have anxiety every time rain is forecast. Or people going through grief because they have lost their homes or can’t get back to them.
“There is just a lot of uncertainty related to the whole situation.”
Chiplin said it is important for people to know that it is normal to feel all sorts of emotions during an emergency situation.
“Whatever you’re feeling is OK, normal and appropriate. Whether it is anxiety and stress or for a lot of people they might be feeling angry or sad or all of those things mixed together.
“That’s a normal human reaction to what we’re facing now,” she said.
Who’s who:
Jo Chiplin
Chiplin has decades of experience working in the mental health sector in a range of roles.
She is the interim director of mental health within national commissioning at Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand).
Dr David Codyre
Codyre is a psychiatrist with more than 30 years’ experience working in the community mental health sector in Aotearoa, in a range of clinical and leadership roles.
He has spent the past 20 years leading development of primary mental health programmes and works with Tāmaki Health – a network of clinics providing team-based primary care services to populations in high-needs areas of Auckland.
Dr Ainsleigh Cribb-Su’a
Dr Cribb-Su’a (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Kauwhata) is an experienced clinical psychologist.
She provides mental health leadership in primary care for the National Hauora Coalition and is the programme director of Tū Whakaruruhau.
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