The Mental Health Foundation said it is "unfair" to turn to mental illness as a scapegoat for the Christchurch terror attacks.

The Mental Heath Foundation has hit out at speculation the accused Christchurch shooter was mentally ill.

The foundation said it was "disappointed but unsurprised" to see speculation the alleged gunman was suffering mental illness during the Christchurch terror attack, adding that extremism is not a mental illness.

"Shooting people is not a symptom of mental illness. White supremacy is not a mental illness," it said in a statement.

It had concerns over the dismissal of racism and white supremacy because of its potential for deadly consequences.

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"Being on the receiving end of racism, discrimination, exclusion and bullying are all risk factors for mental distress. They all contribute to suicide."

While it understood there was comfort in believing the shooter was an outlier, or "different to us", the foundation statement added it was not something to hide behind during the healing process.

"We're using 'mentally ill' as a short-hand for 'violent' and 'threatening' and 'a risk to the community'. This is deeply troubling."

The foundation said mental illness shouldn't be a scapegoat because it would mean letting New Zealand off the hook from reckoning with racism, white supremacy and anti-immigrant sentiments.

"The terrorist is clearly an extremist, but it is an unfair leap to assume we can blame mental illness for his actions."

Connecting radical extremists with mental illness made it harder for people suffering genuine mental health issues to engage in their communities and ask for help.

"You do it to make yourself feel better, not because it's the truth."

The statement noted that Christchurch had, once again, been inflicted with trauma, especially the Muslim community, and that it was "impossible" for the shootings not to have an effect on mental health.

"So many people who fled violence and extremism were killed or hurt or had to watch others die."

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