Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Taoiseach’s call for a nationwide audit of CAMHS because the report today makes for shocking reading indeed. Thankfully, the stigma around mental health is lessening in recent years, thanks to societal changes and organisations in my own area such as Jigsaw Dublin 15, Suicide Awareness Dublin 15, and other similar organisations throughout the State. Emergency medical services are 24-7 and we must have mental health services that are 24-7.

We also need to assist community organisations to provide mental health supports and facilities. It is about getting that first responder support and ongoing support but they also need connections outside in the community, and that is why dance, music classes, youth clubs and sports facilities all add to this. I have repeatedly asked for extra funding for Genesis Psychotherapy & Family Therapy Service in Corduff. This serves the entire Dublin West community. For a small investment, it could provide an extra 4,500 hours per year, bringing the service up to 9,000 hours. It has a capacity at the moment and a waiting list of about six to eight weeks which could be easily solved by a relatively small amount of money.

I will also mention another simple change that could help parents and supports. I am aware of a family who were waiting years to get a service for their child with autism. After great worry and stress they eventually got the service. Unfortunately, however, they lived on the boundary between two different services areas and they were told, just as they were about to get the long-awaited supports, that they were not in the catchment area, a mistake had been made and they had to go to another area. They were then put on the waiting list for the other area after waiting years on the previous one. It was not the fault of the family. They did what they were supposed to do and they waited. Unfortunately, they had to wait again for that service, and are still waiting for it. That is just bureaucracy gone mad.

The other situation I will describe involves a young lad I worked with, and I worked for Tusla for many years. He went to his local hospital three times. Each time he was sent away with an appointment for three weeks in the future, after waiting up to 14 hours on some occasions. The third time he left the hospital he went to the local park and died by suicide. I am sure every community has a similar story. We are talking about youth mental health and we just have to do better. We have to invest and support these young people because they are in a serious crisis.

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