Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Listening to the debate on mental health services, I have been impressed by the unity of purpose and sincerity shown by Deputies. This problem requires a continuous national response by the Government and a local response by wider society and non-government actors, such as the community and voluntary sector. Mental illness is widespread and there is not a family on the island which has not seen a loved one struck down by one of the conditions of the mind. In too many instances, these conditions have resulted in the ultimate act of despair, namely, death by suicide.

Suicide is not a choice. It does not imply that a person has failed to adapt or has given up. It is the terminal stage of mental illness. My colleague, Deputy Robert Troy, bravely and movingly put into words the crippling physical and emotional symptoms of mental illness. All Deputies wish him well in his recovery and thank him for the public service he provided in sharing his story.

The way in which we conduct our political and public lives must become an example that will help create a society that is respectful of the truth. Regardless of what walk of life we are in and what differences exist between us, we are all human beings on the journey of life. Too often, I have watched news reports from the Dáil showing supposedly adult politicians shouting insults at the other side as they engage in personal point-scoring. While passionate debate is welcome and to be encouraged, all those involved in public life, particularly in politics and the media, have a special duty to engage in debate in a manner that shows respect for difference and informs fellow citizens of the complexities of our problems. Debate should not be driven by shallow headlines.

The mental health crisis is a symptom of the society we create and will become greater if we do not view prevention as equal to curative measures. The Department of Health and the Health Service Executive must introduce a major mental health initiative and treat mental health on a par with cancer and heart disease. It is only by having such a deep and broad focus that mental health will become the priority it clearly deserves to be.

Modern society is too self-obsessed with perceived winners and losers. We have too much black and white when shades of grey are much more common. The pace of life is also increasing as we race to find the right school, children engage in the points race and people seek the right college and the perfect job, partner and house - in short, the illusion of the perfect life. These aspirations are all sold by a consumer society that portrays a shallow view of perfection, one that is unobtainable and is a contributory factor to the strains being felt in the area of mental health.

A positive and preventative approach is a vital pillar of delivering a coherent mental health strategy. In this regard, young people and men must be targeted by a holistic plan which empowers them to be partners in the maintenance of good mental health. I have been highly impressed by the Jigsaw project, which emanated from the Headstrong initiative. Jigsaw is a network of projects designed to ensure that every young person has somewhere to turn when in need. It does this by having centres in hub areas and pop-up clinics and centres to ensure hard to reach young people have relative ease of access to services. It recently managed to provide a service throughout County Donegal. I hope it will be able to provide county-wide services in counties Wicklow and Carlow. While the Health Service Executive is the main funder, holistic and mental health programmes for young people must involve the Department of Education and Skills and all local authorities. I am pleased to report that Wicklow County Council and the Bray Area Partnership are working to establish a Jigsaw service for County Wicklow. Both bodies can be assured of my support, although I will insist on the programme being rolled out beyond the major centres of Bray and Greystones to reach into smaller towns such as Wicklow, Arklow, Blessington and Baltinglass as well as rural areas where mental health problems are escalating at an alarming rate.

Purposeful mental health services for everyone and the beginning of the end of the silent suffering of mental illness can be the lasting legacy of this Dáil. I hope that, as elected representatives who are in close agreement on this issue, we can achieve this objective early in the lifetime of the House. This would send a strong signal to the naysayers and doubters that politics can be a force of real and positive change. For my part, I will lead by example.

See this speech in context