Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We know that progress is being made and I acknowledge the role of the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, in that regard as well as the role of the families, individuals and various organisations. I also acknowledge the role of the Oireachtas group on mental health. We are probably the only group who can agree a pre-budget submission.

We know the old way was to medicate, institutionalise and use some horrific procedures. I welcome what the Minister of State said on ECT earlier. We should dedicate it to the memory of the late John McCarthy of Mad Pride Ireland and Pat Bracken, who did so much work in this area.

We know the growing figures but I will mention two in particular. The first is the number of young boys who are presenting as having self-harmed. The other concerns Pavee Point. Yesterday I attended a celebration of its 30 years in existence. An increasing number of male Travellers are coming forward and telling of suicide ideation.

Accident and emergency units are chaotic, busy and hectic. Presenting with a mental health issue in an accident and emergency unit adds to the person's distress. This applies, in particular, to people with autism and Asperger's syndrome as noise is so difficult for them. We need to look at the possibility of having dedicated intellectual disability nurses in accident and emergency units, especially for those who present with mental health issues on their own.

The priority across the board should be prevention and early intervention. In particular, we should be working with young people. It is parents, teachers or youth workers who will first see it when they present as suffering mental health difficulties. Such difficulties in early life place young people at increased risk of further episodes during their adult lives. The numbers of clinical staff in CAMHS have to get to the levels recommended in A Vision for Change.

Integration of services was mentioned by the Minister of State in her speech. There is an issue around dual diagnosis of mental health issues and substance misuse. The underlying issues are not being addressed because they are being treated separately.

We know that it is people from disadvantaged backgrounds who are most susceptible to mental health issues. Family support is vital. In the meantime, however, can the budgets be restored? There were cuts of 30% and more to the addiction, community and youth projects working at the coal face with these young people.

I cannot believe I will now defend smoking but there are plans for all HSE facilities to be smoke free. There are facilities dealing with people who are in vulnerable situations and dealing with other addictions. Smoking is the least of their difficulties. I do not believe in a blanket ban. I understand the rationale but I do not believe it to be the way forward.

The Minister of State mentioned suicide prevention. She visited the Oasis Centre and knows the work it is doing with vulnerable people. She knows it has qualified counsellors and psychotherapists but minimal Government funding.

I ask the Minister of State to be open to innovative programmes. I met a midwife yesterday who works with women suffering from addiction who are pregnant. She came across a lovely programme abroad. It brings in women to cuddle babies who are born into addiction. We need to be open to those types of innovations.

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