Less than 0.5 percent of telehealth call and texts trigger help from emergency services

A study published in the New Zealand Medical Journal has examined more than 700 thousand calls to the 1737 Need to Talk service.

The mental health helpline was launched in 2017.

Whaka-rongo-rau Aotearoa chief clinical officer Dr Ruth Large says women make up nearly two-thirds of high-risk calls.

She says it's not necessarily that women have a higher proportion of mental health conditions but they're more likely to engage with services.
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