According to the Mental Health Foundation, “one in six New Zealand adults have been diagnosed with a common mental disorder at some time in their lives (including depression, bipolar disorder and/or anxiety disorder)”. (1) The percentage of 15 to 24-year-olds in New Zealand struggling with what is considered high or very high psychological distress has been steadily increasing, affecting five per cent of this population five years ago, 8.8 per cent in 2015/2016 and 11.8 per cent in 2017. (2) This trend is expected to continue, according to the World Health Organization, with “depression set to become the second leading cause of disability in the world by 2020”. (3) The rates of suicide in New Zealand are also continuously increasing, with 668 for 2017/2018, the highest number recorded since 2007/2008. (4)

As a nurse who