Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

This matter was originally scheduled to be taken last week to coincide with World Mental Health Day but it is appropriate that we discuss it today in light of the incredible and tragic situation of people who have lost loved ones to suicide being forced to protest outside the Dáil. They carried placards reading "She died waiting" and "24-7 Mental Healthcare Access Now", in a clear appeal to the Government to save people from suicide, and they referred to the budget of last week.

Does the Minister agree that we have a mental health crisis? The last census saw an 29% increase in people with mental health problems and over one in 15 young people has engaged in deliberate self harm. By the age of 24, up to one in five young people has experienced suicidal ideation and ten people tragically die by suicide every week. There is an immense crisis in our society but it is unmatched by the response of the Government. Between 20% and 25% of overall ill health is caused by mental health problems but only about 7% of the health budget goes on mental health. Last week's budget included €39 million for mental health but two thirds of that is going towards pay increases, which are deserved and necessary, and addressing the existing level of services which means the increase in availability and access, at a time when there are massive waiting lists, is extremely small.

The impact of this on our society and economy is immense and an OECD report from 2018 stated that mental health problems cost the economy over €8 billion annually. However, the introduction by the Government of the Your Mental Health information line simply directs callers to one of over 1,000 other helplines and does little to assist those in dire need. Suicide support services may alleviate someone's situation in the immediate term but they are not a long-term solution for anyone with severe mental health difficulties and for the Government to suggest that it is a solution is a slap in the face for those who struggle with such difficulties on a daily basis. It is proven that calls increase with new helplines but what does that mean when we lack consistent State-funded mental health support such as specific centres, support groups and particular treatments for certain illnesses? At the end of last year, over one quarter of the people on the waiting list for psychology in primary care had been waiting more than 12 months to be seen. Helplines will typically advise someone in urgent need to go to an emergency department but they wait there for ten hours and end up on a waiting list, which does not resolve the situation.

A helpline is the bare minimum we need to have. What we need is sufficient investment, the implementation of A Vision for Change and 24-hour access to appropriate care. We need to get rid of waiting lists so people can access, publicly, the mental healthcare services they need. This needs to be linked to a struggle for a society without alienation and where people have control over their lives, their housing and their jobs and do not suffer from eco-anxiety or eco-guilt because of a sense of a climate that is headed for a catastrophe. These services are linked to a fundamental socialist change in our society.

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