Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael)

I welcome the appointment of Dr. Stephanie O'Keeffe as director of the National Office for Suicide Prevention. The permanent position was vacant since last October. I wish her well in the task ahead of her.

I am glad that the Minister recognises this is one of the most urgent issues facing society. He has promised to appoint a director of mental health services. What progress has been made on this vital appointment? Heretofore there has only been an assistant director of mental health services. Mr. Martin Rogan is doing a great job in that position but we need a senior person who will report to the chief executive of the HSE. The Minister has identified the people who collectively should work in this area, but this is a societal issue involving various bodies. Leadership should emanate from Government and those mentioned by the Minister, but the broader society should also take an active part as it has in other countries through various sporting and community organisations as well as clergy and gardaí. In addition, it should be recognised that general practitioners have a role to play.

We wish to promote the rolling out of the applied suicide intervention skills training or ASIST programme and the SafeTALK programme. Last year, the Irish Association of Suicidology provided a short course to over 700 members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. In addition, almost 500 gardaí in the Limerick area have been trained by the National Office for Suicide Prevention in a programme, similar to ASIST, under the auspices of the European Union.

A lot of leadership, understanding and discussion are required in dealing with this matter. Until we remove the taboo, people will not seek help in time. The biggest challenge in the area of mental health and suicide is to break down the stigma surrounding it. In that way, people will feel comfortable speaking about their difficulties and will be able to seek assistance without feeling that they are being labelled in any way, as they feel at present.

Amnesty International recently published an excellent survey on mental health, including patients and service users. It outlined the stigma they feel and have experienced as people suffering from a mental health condition. The survey is very revealing although we do not have time to go into it now.

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