Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)

I join Deputy Griffin in sympathising with all those affected by suicide. We must address the nitty-gritty of the problem. There is a distinct link between the economic downturn, especially the rise in unemployment, and suicide. Amnesty International has made this very clear. It seems likely that the increase in the suicide rate is primarily a result of the impact of the economic downturn with substantially more people unemployed and suffering from personal debt.

One of the main problems with which the Dáil must deal is unemployment because doing so will give people more hope and income and allow them to put their children through college, etc. The Government is not really dealing with this and will not be able to do so because it has accepted the diktats of the IMF and European Union. While my point very much concerns economics, it is a key issue. The suicide rate will continue to escalate under the prevailing economic conditions unless the problem is addressed with real drive by creating jobs. People Before Profit and my fellow United Left Alliance Deputies believe this should be achieved by putting thousands of people back into the workforce in publicly funded jobs. I refer to the building of schools, as mentioned in the budget statement, the retrofitting of homes and addressing the water crisis associated with the condition of pipes all over the country. A national employment programme would make a big difference in preventing the worsening of people's circumstances.

A key cause of suicide is the extremely poor quality of mental health services. I have experience of people having to rely on public health service psychiatrists, etc. What generally happens is that one receives an opportunity to sit with a psychiatrist once per month. The psychiatrist changes monthly, however, and there is no continuity. Many of the patients are older women and men. They may have to talk to young women doctors who are probably in the initial stages of training, and this does not help when dealing with the issue of depression.

Amnesty International has identified the poor quality of mental health services in Ireland as a key cause of suicide. Suicide is preventable and better mental health services would mean fewer people dying in this tragic manner. Amnesty International makes the point that adequate treatment of major mental disorders decreases the risk of suicide and is an effective way to prevent suicide in health care. Ireland still lacks a modern, adequately resourced community mental health service. The Government should address this. There is an absolute need to prevent suicide and this can only be done by investing in the appropriate services.

The need to move towards a well funded, properly resourced community-based mental health service is crucial. International evidence shows that good community-based services, by comparison with traditional hospital services, are linked to lower suicide rates. In Ireland, 80% of mental health resources remain tied up in hospital-based treatment. This is a model we must move away from. It represents another appalling failure of the HSE to carry out reform in this area. Amnesty International claims the failure to reform mental health services means Ireland continues to fail to meet international human rights standards. As a society, we must meet those standards, and this can only mean resourcing the appropriate services. How are we to resource the services in the current climate? The forthcoming review of the Mental Health Act 2001, committed to in the programme for Government, must result in legislation to force the HSE to implement urgent reforms.

Many of the people I have been meeting recently, particularly mothers and fathers of autistic children, who are trying to get their children into schools and have their disabilities assessed, are now being told there is no point in having them assessed because there are no special needs teachers to serve them. This is an absolute scandal. It is one of the economic and social issues we must address. We must be willing to step up to the mark in this regard, put resources where they are needed and impose taxes where we can. We know there is plenty of money within certain sections of society. The very wealthy in this country do not pay a cent in tax. If they were taxed and the money were invested where needed, we would have a way of moving forward. Until the Government meets this challenge, we will continue to experience the sorry economic circumstances we are experiencing at present and fail to step up to the mark with regard to suicide prevention.

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