Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am sure she is a very unique person to Ms Hough. Unfortunately, and I do not say this to disparage, Valerie's story is not unique. I have heard many times about overmedication with powerful drugs, the importance for medical experts of giving a label and a diagnosis, and the lack of alternative therapies such as talk therapies. Valerie's experience in emergency departments is similar to what I hear on a regular basis, as well. I have spoken to liaison psychiatrists who work in hospitals. Unfortunately, there are just not enough of them to see everybody who comes into emergency departments. They are under-resourced.

I am very interested in what Ms Hough and others mentioned about their views on tapering and the right to taper. In other health areas, there is a right to taper. I have worked in addiction services for numerous years and there is a right to taper. It is called detoxification. The word detoxification literally means removing a toxin from one's body. If somebody was put on a methadone substitute for heroin treatment, he or she has a right to taper off that with the help of a GP or a prescribing doctor. A number of people over the past 20 years have been presenting to addiction services with an addiction to prescribed medication. Benzodiazepines and codeine are two of the medications that regularly feature. How does Ms Hough see the right to tapering working? What structures need to be put in place? Would it be advocacy with someone speaking on behalf of the person who seeks to taper off his or her medication? Does this need to be legislated for? I do not know the answer to that either. Will Ms Hough answer some of that? If anybody else has any questions, that would be very useful.