Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State's commitment and again welcome the Taoiseach's commitment two weeks ago to ringfence €35 million annually within the overall health budget to develop community mental health services in line with A Vision for Change, a vital issue in the development of the mental health services.

The National Office for Suicide Prevention has asked that priority be given to effective interventions at multiple levels, including the early identification of people at risk of self-harm by introducing evidence-based depression, self-harm and suicide awareness and skills training for professionals working in health care and community based services. It is also recommended that we seek to prevent repeated self-harm by introducing uniform procedures for assessment and the after-care of deliberate self-harm patients presenting at hospital emergency departments. In order to deal effectively with the needs of deliberate self-harm patients following discharge from hospital, it is recommended that a wider range of evidence-based treatment programmes should be made available for this high risk group, the focus on which is vital. I have seen programmes in other countries for this group of people who are discharged from hospital. It is vital to inform the general public about the symptoms of depression, warning signs of suicidal behaviour and relevant help services through positive mental health promotion campaigns. While there have been some such campaigns, the issue of promoting mental health awareness and de-stigmatising mental illness has to be re-examined because it is vital that we tackle the very serious issue of attempted suicide, deliberate self-harm and completed suicide.

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