Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The past year has seen a global health emergency the likes of which none of us could have imagined. However, in the midst of this pandemic another health crisis has been spreading through every town and village in the country for which there is no vaccine: the crisis of mental health. Years of underfunding in the health service in general and the lack of focus on mental health issues in particular have created a backlog that has been exacerbated by this pandemic. Lockdowns have had a dramatic effect on people's psychological well-being while also limiting the provision of services available to them.

Some 2,500 children are waiting on CAMHS appointments. Those are merely the children on the waiting lists, not the ones waiting to be assessed. Almost 9,000 children await primary care psychology treatment, again only the names on the list. More than 1,500 adults are awaiting primary care psychology treatment with the HSE.

In recent weeks, I have been engaging with service users, service providers and even youth clubs in counties Longford and Westmeath to get their opinion on the state of mental health services at the moment. I believe that the motion will offer concrete solutions to that crisis, to deal with it effectively and to meet the growing demand for mental health services.

A recent survey found that almost 50% of young people under the age of 34 reported being disheartened or down most of the time, which is absolutely terrifying. We do not want people merely to survive in this country. We want them to live and to thrive, and there is a marked difference.

The motion proposes removing barriers relating to medical cards and income tests so that everyone can access these services. We propose additional resources and new services to both prevent and react to crisis situations; additional child and adult psychologists; acute mental health beds; funding for training for counselling psychologists; talk therapy; preventive measures of working with community groups; and de-escalation training. Mental health is not nine-to-five and it needs to be met with a service that is not nine-to-five. These measures are essential if we are to deal with the surge in demand.

We are nowhere near capacity or where we need to be. If we do not take urgent measures, more people will suffer and, ultimately, more people will not make it through. We need to act now and in a manner that ensures that nobody is left behind.

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