Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. While we cannot legislate for attitudes, as she stated, we can campaign to change them. We saw the result of significant investment in the very successful campaign on road safety, which is often quoted as a headline. The level of finance is not available for similar investment in this area, but there should be a level of support for attitudinal change. Often people use the word "stigma" very loosely but do not fully analyse or understand exactly what it means. It means using negative labels to identify people with mental health problems and disability. It is at the root of fear and misunderstanding of these issues. People hold negative opinions towards people with disabilities and mental health problems simply because they do not understand the issues involved and because they rely on myths and misconceptions about the areas. International research and policy documents identify stigma as one of the most persistent barriers to understanding the problems with mental health and disabilities and the importance of these areas.

The Minister of State mentioned the objectives of See Change and the examination of their effectiveness. It is important to put those on the record. See Change wants an environment where people can be more open and positive in their attitudes and behaviour towards mental health; greater understanding and acceptance of people with mental health problems; greater understanding and knowledge of mental health problems and of health services that provide support for mental health problems - that would also apply to people with disabilities; and a reduction in the stigma associated with these issues and the need to challenge discrimination.

Unfortunately, attitudes towards mental health create a misunderstanding among people and that misunderstanding leads to people with a disability or a mental health problem having low self-esteem. They feel isolated and hopeless, and that can deter them from seeking help. Responding to that stigma people with disability or mental health problems can sometimes internalise the public attitudes to which I referred and become so embarrassed or ashamed that they often conceal the symptoms and fail to seek treatment. There is a knock-on effect from those attitudes in terms of the way people provide and obtain treatment for conditions that can be treated. Improvement can be obtained in terms of quality of life and contribution to society.

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