Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Why are we debating mental health today? Is it because there is a perception, rightly or wrongly, that money was stolen from the mental health budget or that the Cycle Against Suicide is ongoing at present and on day three of its yearly cycle or is it because there is really nothing else we can do in the Chamber at present? Either way, I do not care, to be honest. The fact that it is on the agenda is what counts. I believe mental health should always be on the agenda and always be debated. Every person at some stage in his or her life will experience a mental health problem. It does not mean he or she will suffer from depression or attempt suicide but whether it is a bad week or a bad day that affects the person or the people around them, everybody will experience it at some stage. When 100% of people are affected by something, it should always be on the agenda.

We are talking about an illness. As with any other illness, prevention is better than cure. In the case of cancer, we have come a long way in the past few years. Women with breast cancer have an 82% survival rate while the survival rate for prostate cancer is up to 91%. In the 1990s, the overall survival rate was 45% and it is now 60%, so we have seen improvements. Why is that? There are many reasons. Again, there is prevention as a cure. We encourage people not to smoke and to live healthier lives. There is a focus on early diagnosis and we have centres of excellence. We also show solidarity through Pink Ribbon Walks, we try to raise awareness and we try to get people talking about it. If we take that approach and apply it to mental health, we will progress in the same manner as we have with cancer.

It is important to equip people to cope with the stress of daily life. We all experience that stress whether we work in politics or as teachers, doctors, gardaí or in any other profession. We must take a different approach. I read an interesting article in The Guardianrecently which reported that some GPs in the UK are taking a completely different approach with older people who come to them with mental health problems. They encourage them to take up yoga, Pilates or some form of exercise. That is something we should start to do here because when one reaches the stage where somebody must enter a hospital or go to see somebody, one has gone too far. We are lagging behind. I am proud that the previous Fine Gael and Labour Party Government invested €130 million in sports capital grants. That is a huge boost and help for local communities that are involved in sports. I thank Deputy Michael Ring for that and for what was a transformative role as Minister of State with responsibility for sport. I hope he had our young people's mental health in mind when the money was doled out.

Early diagnosis and centres of excellence could play a huge role. The previous Government increased funding for mental health by €160 million from 2012 to 2016. That is not to be sniffed at, wherever it went. Obviously, it has not been enough and the next Government must increase that funding and continue in that trajectory. We must focus on a number of areas. Obviously, one is early detection through primary care centres and the community making full use of the different teams in those centres. Extending the counselling and primary care services to more people is extremely important. There is also the integration of psychotherapy, counselling and social care services and new capital developments for mental health services, which could done from the sales of other older assets. It is important to reduce admission rates as well.

As I have stated, sometimes once this stage is reached it is too late or it takes even longer to reverse the effects.

One of the biggest issues is solidarity. One of the biggest problems with mental health is that we as a society, whether rightly or wrongly and whether intentionally or not, fit each other into boxes and state how one should be and how one should act and live one's life. Often this results in people feeling isolated and beating themselves up for not fitting into the particular category. The Dáil has a huge role to play in this regard. Last year, I was very proud when we passed the marriage equality Bill. For a long time, many young people lived within constraints in society which they felt were the norm. Showing people they can live their lives being how they want to be has made a huge difference. We need to continue in this manner.

Last Thursday, I attended a meeting in Drogheda for SOSAD's service, which is at risk due to a lack of funding. The next government needs to focus on this. I understand there is only so much a government can do with regard to the voluntary sector. Most of the voluntary organisations were established because somebody had gone through a trauma or somebody known to the person had experienced something. Every organisation is worthy of funding and we all have our part to play in this.

Yesterday, I attended an event linked to the cycle against suicide. Hundreds of people were in a room with the common cause of trying to raise awareness and help each other. We need to encourage this and be part of it. Mental health needs to stay on the agenda. Funding needs to continue to increase and we must continue to speak about it.

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