Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend Deputy Ó Caoláin on tabling the motion. I hope that over the course of tonight and tomorrow night, we will reach cross-party consensus on prioritising the area of mental health and suicide prevention.

For many years, there was great stigma attached to mental health and while the position has improved in recent years, the stigma is only beginning to lift. This development can be attributed to the work being done on the ground by individuals, organisations, volunteers and, to give credit where it is due, policy decisions made by the Government.

Some of the initiatives, in terms of the Sea Change initiative, the healthy living campaign and the Green Ribbon campaign, all have certainly been positive contributing factors to lifting the stigma of mental health.

I have met individuals, in my constituency office and in passing at sports clubs and at social events, who are now more openly talking about their own battle with mental health and that is a positive development. The more people who talk about their experiences, particularly those who have come through very difficult times, such as in battling with depression, the better because depression is a huge issue in our communities.

When people talk about mental health and suicide, it is only fair to say that not everybody who has suicidal thoughts suffers with his or her mental health. There are various risk factors for those who contemplate suicide and that is why the part of the motion calling for a cross-departmental approach to tackling mental health is critical. We must tackle unemployment, social disadvantage and educational disadvantage because these all are risk factors for those who contemplate suicide.

We also must look at the associated protective factors, in terms of putting in place the resources, whether through funding, counselling or access 24 hours a day seven days a week to individuals who can help those who are in desperate need of help. These are the protective factors which need the funding and the resources because we must give people the tools to be able to cope with their individual issues. No doubt in times of economic downturn the number of those who are in desperation and who suffer from depression goes on the rise and unless we put in place those types of resources, we are doing them a disservice.

The other area I will touch on briefly is what Deputy Ó Caoláin calls for in his motion in terms of measuring the mental well-being of a nation, and it should be on a par with the physical well-being. No doubt if one is in a good mental and physical state, one is actively contributing to society and more open to getting out there and helping others. I know many who have suffered with their mental health who are now actively helping and encouraging those who are in dire need of help, either due to depression or suffering from a mental health disorder. They are actively encouraging those individuals to seek help. They are pointing them in the right direction.

I compliment the number of community and voluntary groups which are doing outstanding work. In many cases, some would argue there are services which duplicate in some areas and one of the tasks which face us is ensuring that all of those groups providing help and resources are targeting the correct areas and are getting the needed supports, whether from Government, from local government or from us in terms of legislation.

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