Adult Mental Health Service entry criteria

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The entry criteria below are based on the premise that the Adult Mental Health Service aims to facilitate optimal care of people with serious mental illness and associated disability and/or risk which necessitates specialist mental health services.

Therefore, to assess whether the referral will be accepted, all the following criteria should be satisfied:

I - There exists a serious mental illness:

ICD10 classification

II - There is an associated level of disability and/or risk:

attempted self-harm or intent of same
harm towards others or intent of same
voicing suicidal ideation/intent
incapacitated judgement.

III - I and II to the extent that specialist mental health services are required:

If treatment/intervention can be provided effectively by a primary provider, clearly the criteria for specialist services is not met.

IV - The service can provide evidence based treatment/intervention for the person with the disorder, eg, severe borderline personality disorders. Currently AMHS provides crisis assessment and intervention for these clients, and it is envisaged that in the future long term management for a defined number of clients with severe borderline personality disorders will be offered through the Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Service.

When AMHS is not able to deliver these services, clients may be referred to the AMHS Social Workers or other appropriate providers for assistance.

The Adult Mental Health Service is available to adults aged 18 years and older, with some flexibility. The needs of youth between 18 and 19 years may fall into the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. The most appropriate service to meet need will be determined clinically and if an age related mental illness exists, the individual will be referred to the appropriate service eg, Mental Health Service for Older People; Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.

Rural areas will not have access to as many alternative services as Hamilton. This should be considered when service entry is being decided.

Where there is doubt, clients will be accepted for an initial assessment.

24 hour Crisis Line (all areas) 0800 50 50 50

Non-urgent
Hamilton	Phone: (07) 838 3752 Fax: (07) 834 6900
Thames	Phone: (07) 868 8249 Fax: (07) 868 9623 0800 726849
Tokoroa	Phone: (07) 886 4455 Fax: (07) 886 7296
Te Awamutu/Te Kuiti/Taumarunui	Phone: (07) 871 3671 Fax: (07) 870 4279 0800 154973

Serious mental illness

The following ICD10 disorders are a guide to conditions that may be appropriate for treatment if other entry criteria are also met:

schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders
mood disorders (eg, bipolar disorder, major depression)
anxiety disorders (eg, severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder)
head injury with associated serious psychiatric disorder (when able to deliver an appropriate service)
mental retardation with serious psychiatric disorder (Intellectual Disability Dual Diagnosis Service)
substance use disorder with also a serious psychiatric disorder (Dual Diagnosis Service)
adjustment disorders (including situational crises with risk to self or others)
factitious and dissociative disorders
disorders with onset usually in childhood (eg, severe attention deficit disorder, Tourettes disorder)
eating disorders (when able to deliver evidence based service)
severe borderline personality disorders (when able to deliver evidence based service).

Cultural phenomenology

From time to time Maori people and people from other cultures will present with psychopathology which is the result of cultural phenomenology, such as (for Maori) Matekite, Mate Maori or Makutu. In these cases AMHS will ensure appropriate assessment to determine a suitable service response.

Exclusion criteria

The following are excluded if they are the only diagnosis/issue:

substance abuse/dependence syndrome (referred to Alcohol & Drug Service)
impulse control – kleptomania, pyromania, pathological gambling, pathological intoxication
mental retardation
abuse issues – sexual, physical, emotional
communication disorders
developmental disorders
sexual deviancy/dysfunction
delirium (referred to Medical Service)
dementia (referred to Geriatric Service)
relationship counselling
anger management
non-psychiatric medications general practitioner services (referred to GP)
accommodation
child psychiatry – under 18 years (referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service)
social services
forensic assessments (referred to Regional Forensic Service).