Dr. Shari McDaid:

I am not familiar with those statistics. They are worrying. It would probably be difficult for anyone to say at this point whether it is a trend. Suicide happens relatively rarely compared with the population as a whole, so it can be difficult to spot trends until after a few years have passed. We feel it is important that mental health be seen as an issue for the whole of our society, not just the mental health services, and that specific responsibility be taken by all Departments for their role in supporting and promoting mental health in the population. We have advocated for a "mental health in all policies" approach. The committee's endorsement of same would be welcome. Under it, every Department should consider how its programme of work impacts on people's mental health. This should form part of its decision-making. The same idea, albeit in a different format, was advocated by the independent monitoring group for A Vision for Change quite a few years ago.

It is widely accepted that non-clinical factors will impact on people's mental health and put them at risk. The Deputy mentioned a number of factors, including poverty. Relative deprivation is arising as an issue, as are insecurity of housing tenure, social isolation generally and unemployment in terms of how they affect people's self-esteem and self-confidence.

The mental health agenda has to be owned by every Department. When considering next year's budget, social welfare expenditure, the minimum wage or housing issues, part of the thinking must be whether the decision being made will improve people's mental health or have a negative impact. I would like this approach becoming integral to the way we think about mental health.