Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleague Deputy Ward for introducing this Bill. It is a very simple Bill, which I hope will have a positive effect on mental health services. We need to place mental health on a par with physical health and improve the provision and quality of mental health services. I have spoken in the House previously about a man whose son was experiencing mental ill health. He felt it would have been better had his son been diagnosed with cancer because at least then there would be clear path to care. Any family that has experienced mental ill health will be familiar with that feeling and this must change. We must ensure that those who are experiencing mental health issues have a clear path to care in order that they can get better.

For too long mental health has been the poor relation of our health services. Sadly, delays in diagnosis and treatment costs lives. These people are not just statistics, they are parents, siblings, children, spouses and friends. It is absolutely shameful that we do not have 24-7 services available to diagnose and treat mental illness. Mental illness does not take the weekend off and neither should the care services. Years of neglect, underinvestment and a lack of political will have left us with a broken system and it is high time it was fixed. Mental health affects physical health and vice versa. We must take an holistic approach.

Covid-19 has had a massive but unseen effect on the mental health of many people and it may be some time before we know the full extent of this. I commend the work of groups like HOPE(D) in Newbridge and the way they have adapted to cope with the challenges posed by the pandemic. They are saving lives but receive no money from the HSE, despite the executive referring clients to them. I want to say to everyone who is struggling in this pandemic that even with the privileged position I am in, there are times when I struggle. It is perfectly okay not to be okay right now. It is normal to feel anxious, frightened, frustrated or worried about things that are outside our control. People should be kind and reach out to one another. They need to know that if they are not feeling okay, they are not alone.

As someone who suffered with mental health issues when I was 16 years old, which is a long time ago, I know that if we do not look after our mental we will be in severe trouble. People do not differentiate between mental health and mental illness. In order to have no mental illness, we need to focus on mental health and teaching people how to keep mental illness at bay. As my party's spokesperson for older people, I am also very concerned about the impact of Covid-19 on people in nursing homes and their families, particularly on their mental health, which is pivotal.

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