Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)

It is important that Dáil Éireann takes time to address suicide by facilitating Members to make a contribution on policy surrounding the issue. That time has been provided to discuss suicide is indicative of the time and profile required to address the issue at all levels of society with a view to removing the age old stigma attached to mental health and suicide which contributes to higher suicide rates in Ireland.

Mental health has still not been given the priority it deserves in society. Too often, people do not pay sufficient attention to their personal mental health and well being. The brain is the most complex and important organ in the human body but it is hidden and the symptoms of health problems associated with it are not as obvious as visible physical injuries. For this reason, mental health has not been given sufficient attention except when expressed in advanced symptoms, often following a failure to address a mental health problem at an earlier stage.

Unfortunately, suicide numbers in Ireland are stark. In 2009, there were 527 deaths by suicide, an increase of 24% on the previous year. These figures show the enormity of the issue facing us. The National Office for Suicide Prevention has linked the increase in suicide incidence to the deteriorating economy and resultant stresses. Deputies will have little difficulty accepting that this is the case given our personal experience of observing how hard times and high unemployment have brought a range of new pressures to bear on members of the public.

The suicide rate is the tip of an iceberg as mental health problems cause many more layers of suffering. In 2009, some 11,966 incidents of deliberate self-harm were recorded, a 5.5% increase on 2008. Under this layer of self-harm lies a further layer of daily suffering experienced by thousands of people with various degrees of mental health problems. We must tackle suicide and mental health in two ways.

We must increase public awareness of the importance of active management of personal mental health and provide adequate and well resourced mental health care facilities in our communities and hospitals. To address the issue of awareness, the former Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Mr. John Moloney, introduced a national stigma reduction campaign known as See Change. Having known the former Minister of State for some years, I commend his contribution on this issue and his decision to use personal experience to help ensure people take responsibility for their mental health.

The aim of See Change is to positively change social attitudes and behaviour, inspire people to challenge their beliefs about mental illness, be more open in their attitudes and behaviour and encourage people in distress to seek help. A network of national and local organisations is promoting the anti-stigma message through local broadcasts and print media and a range of other activities. I have seen the impact the campaign has had in north County Donegal where local groups have used local people to front activities aimed at getting the message across in local communities.

To address the issue of improving mental health services for members of the public the previous Fianna Fáil Party-Green Party Government established the Office for Mental Health and Disability. Special consideration was given in the most recent budget to the mental health and disability sectors, which experienced a smaller reduction in funding - less than 2% for 2011 - than other sectors.

The previous Government also introduced the policy document, A Vision for Change, with a projected investment of more than €150 million over seven to ten years. Development funding totalling €54 million has been allocated to the Health Service Executive since the launch of the report in 2006. To further the implementation of A Vision for Change the 2010 employment control framework for the health service provided an exemption from the moratorium on recruitment and allowed 100 psychiatric posts to be filled by nurses or therapists. While implementation of the strategy has been much slower than originally anticipated, progress has been made, including shorter episodes of inpatient care, improvements in child and adolescent mental health services, fewer involuntary admissions and the involvement of service users in all aspects of mental health policy, service planning and delivery.

The same proactive interventions made to try to catch public attention in the area of road safety should be adopted in our efforts to address suicide and mental health.

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