Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will add my voice to what Deputy Kenny has said. The problem is that in many of these cases the gardaí become the only agency people contact when they are dealing with somebody who is having a psychotic break. Gardaí generally lift the person and if the case is serious enough, they bring him or her to a local psychiatric unit. The person is left there and released, and then dealt with in a couple of days' time.

We need a full multiagency audit of the entire system because we are dealing with multiple issues. We are dealing with the fact that we do not have sufficient dual diagnoses to deal with people who have drug addictions. We are not carrying out early interventions which are cheaper and easier. We do not have the acute services required. It all falls back on the gardaí. We also have to consider all of those people who fall between care plans, disability and mental health services and other issues. We need to make sure that whatever services are needed are put in place as soon as possible.

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