Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I listened to the Minister's answers. I have also encountered this issue. The perception - it may only be a perception - seems to be that someone with a mental illness is not taken as seriously as someone with a physical and, therefore, visible illness and, as such, a different approach is taken. Given where we are as a society and the considerable increase in rates of depression and mental illness, I hope that the word will go out from the Minister and the Dáil that there can be no differentiation at any stage. This could help to address the perception.

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