Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is not a family in this State that has not been affected by mental health and, sadly, far too many families have also been impacted by the lack of mental health services available in this State. That lack of services has failed far too many of our people and sadly we have lost far too many people as a result. Make no mistake about it, mental health can turn to personal tragedy and it is incumbent on us to help our people and save lives. This crisis has been exacerbated by Covid-19 and we need an emergency response. Today's motion, brought forward by my colleague, Deputy Ward, is such a response. It is a complete and compassionate response that offers practical solutions. This is a real emergency and we need to act.

Sadly, my home city of Galway has also suffered greatly from this lack of services. I have conducted an anonymous survey to hear people’s experiences of this. One response that stuck out was from a person who said:

I see a different nurse or doctor every single time I have an appointment. They don’t have accurate knowledge of one’s individual case and therefore do not have much to offer in the way of useful support. I am repeatedly told to take walks and meditate when in actuality I need a therapist, I need eating disorder services (that don’t exist). I need trauma support.

The list goes on. I have spoken with people who have needed mental health services and with different organisations and one message comes back loud and clear. They say that we need 24-hour mental healthcare. The lack of care outside the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. reflects an attitude of a bygone age. We need better than that. Mental health challenges are 24-7, so our response needs to be 24-7.

See this speech in context