The Mental Health and Addiction Inquiry's public meetings showed a divide in opinion between family members and people who live with mental illness. Now, JESSICA MCALLEN dives into the specifics of the system and what needs fixing. The large majority of people who take their own lives have never come to the attention of our mental health services. That's what Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said during mental health awareness week. She said the first step is seeking help and encouraging people to be much more open, particularly males in our community. The statement was backed by a line from several Ministry of Health briefings - that only about 46 per cent of those between 10 and 64 years old who died by suicide or undetermined intent had used mental health services. But the numbers the prime minister's team used to demonstrate her point come with serious caveats. They only include the 3.6 per cent of New Zealanders who come into contact with specialist mental health and … [Read more...] about The Inquiry: How to understand the mental health system