Dr. Shari McDaid:

The two critical areas outside the health service which have a huge impact on people recovering from a mental health issue are housing and employment. Many people who have a mental health difficulty would identify themselves that if they could just get adequate housing, it would help them to recover. If they could just get support to help them into the daily routine of employment or participating in the community, for example, as a volunteer or parent, this would be as important for their recovery, if not more so, than some of the medical treatment they will receive. They are not alone in thinking that because the evidence on the impact of having secure housing and employment is very good. For instance, when we see in the social welfare system that about 50% of people on disability allowance identify mental health as their primary concern, we know that we do not have a well functioning mental health system. It should not be the case that people who have a mental health difficulty and want to work do not routinely get the support they need to get back into work. We welcome the national roll-out, under the service reform fund, of support for people with severe mental health difficulties to get back into work. That is a pilot programme and needs to be mainstreamed. In housing, no one should be in an inpatient for the sole reason that he or she cannot get housing. That is a very inefficient use of resources, yet it is the case in inpatient units around the country. We have seen evidence of this.

Another area which may not be as closely related to what would help people recover but is nonetheless symptomatic of the weaknesses in our system is the extent of mental health difficulties arising for people who are in the prison system and on remand. Between 40% and 60% of people on remand have a diagnosable mental health difficulty and between 5% and 10% of people in the prison system have a severe mental health difficulty. That is not the appropriate place to recover from a mental health difficulty. It will not help them to recover. We need to look closely at the supports in the prison system and ensure that people in the prison system who are experiencing mental distress get good quality supports and all the support they need to ensure their mental health difficulty does not reduce their ability to get back into the community.

I would like my colleague, Ms Mitchell, to answer the question on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD. While people with a mental health difficulty do not always identify for themselves as having a disability, that convention has many powerful messages and commitments that can positively impact on people with mental health difficulties.