Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute on what is not a debate, but a discussion on mental health. I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, on her appointment and my Fianna Fáil colleague, Deputy Browne, on his appointment as mental health spokesperson during the life of this Dáil. I hope that substantial progress is made.

When I think about mental health, I think about the people. I am an accountant, but this is one debate that is not about statistics and numbers. Although we could cite them today, we would be missing the point. This issue is about the hundreds of thousands of people who are suffering as we speak. People will have been surprised by our interest in this debate since it commenced a couple of weeks ago. There is not a Deputy who has not been asked by many constituents about whether he or she has contributed, or will contribute, on this debate. A large, silent group of people are watching what is happening in the Chamber. They hear talk of other issues, but these are the ones that matter to them because they are suffering in silence.

6 o’clock

It means many people suffering from mental health issues are not living their lives to their full potential. Their families are not either because there is an impact on them and their communities.

The first point we have to accept is that there is no easy answer; it is a journey and there will always be a long journey to go. We all talk about how people should be more open. Men should be much more open. More often than not, the funerals of those who have committed suicide in my area are of men. Sometimes it is women. It is saddest when it is a young person. One feels he or she must have been in a very dark space when he or she felt there was no way out or way ahead. This requires understanding, not judgment. It is very easy for people to be judgmental and say, given an individual's circumstances, he or she should be better off than others. However, there is no accounting for what happens people's brains.

Many people suffer from financial or emotional stress. There is more stress in the rat race of modern-day life than there used to be. Often, there are no answers when it is all said and done. This is why I say people will be on an ongoing journey. The more we talk about mental illness here, the more we will increase its priority in the national debate and political agenda. That, in itself, will lead to additional funding. It is easy to allocate an extra €10 million here or there for various services but there should be greater understanding among people as to what is actually involved. We need to accept that the mental health service has been the Cinderella service of the health services. If this debate achieves nothing but an increase in the profile of the need to deal with mental illness, it will have done everybody who suffers from mental illness a lot of good. They will know they are not alone.

See this speech in context