Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this Bill and I am very happy to support it. There can be a lot of attention placed on things that do not work in the Dáil but this is one initiative where we can have a collaborative approach and it shows that some things do work well.

While it did not present scientific statistics, we all remember the roadshow that Vincent Browne took around the country prior to the general election - some of us were targets of it - and I took note of some of the key issues raised. At all those meetings there was one constant, which was suicide-mental health. It was the only topic that came up on every, single programme. It is an issue right across the country. People came along and raised this issue voluntarily in those debates. It was interesting that suicide-mental health was raised in this manner.

Public representatives see people who come through our offices for whom the system has failed, right across the spectrum. People might turn up with a housing difficulty and with other associated problems but the most difficult cases are when those people may also have a mental health problem. I can see significant failures in the system and I do not doubt that this is the case nationwide.

There are things that we absolutely need to do. One particular aspect of mental health policy we should tackle is the service distinction between addiction and mental health. Substance abuse and mental health issues often go hand in hand. The first point of contact with a service provider for individuals with a dual diagnosis should seek to tackle both in a holistic fashion. A UK study has suggested that 75% of users of drug services and 85% of users of alcohol services experience mental health problems. Obviously there is a need to have that holistic approach.

A woman from my locality approached me to point out an issue in respect of youth suicide and at every opportunity when the issue of mental health has come up, I have raised the same issue. This woman tragically lost her son through suicide. There were four young lads in the same class who also committed suicide and it was a particular tragedy because of that. This mother was looking for some meaning in what happened and how it could be resolved. She pointed to the Connecting for Life strategy and how Ireland is out of line with the EU regarding youth suicide and the problem with suicide clusters. She made the point that young people are talking to each other in a language of emotional immaturity and that wider engagement is needed. She suggested that a structured coping mechanism is needed in schools to provide for that kind of engagement. This mother is calling for an initiative of this sort to be made mandatory. At present, the language in the strategy is to "encourage" measures, but it is not mandatory to do so. Such an initiative was taken on teen pregnancies and the HSE has argued that it had worked well in that regard. This mother could see no reason why the same positive approach would not be taken on suicide. In-service training for teachers could include a module that gets people talking about the issue as opposed to not talking because they fear the topic. This is what she sought and I paid great attention to a person who had been touched so personally by the issue. I would like to see some meaning for that family.

A clinical psychologist contacted me about her frustration over how people in her category are recruited. When applicants are put onto panels it almost constitutes a discouragement to be employed. There are hundreds of people on the panel and it lasts for a year. All of a sudden the people have to reapply. A clinical psychologist can do very meaningful work in a very short space of time. Instead, people are languishing on lists and perhaps are not contributing to society in a way they would wish. It is very short-sighted to not have an easier approach to recruitment and the matter should be looked at.

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