Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Mental health must become a national priority, as our country must face up to a crisis beyond any other we have ever had. The Rural Independent Group's pre-budget submission sought increased funding of at least €85 million for mental health services this year to deal with the emerging mental health crisis. The increased allocation by this Government is only half that of our proposals. It is no wonder we have a crisis in mental health in this country.

Throughout the country, many individuals have severely struggled to access basic support even before the pandemic, but we have no doubt Covid-19 has adversely affected the physical and mental well-being of many more people.

Both my staff and I hear many harrowing stories daily from those who sought to access mental health services but, shockingly, had been unable to do so. I may ask why but the answer is simple. In 2021, only 5.1% of the total health budget went towards mental health in Ireland. By way of comparison, 13% of the health budget in the UK went to mental health. The Government is great at launching glossy action plans and strategies but this is less than 5% of the work. Ninety-five per cent is getting the job done by funding the services and providing the resources.

One of the most harrowing scenes in life is attending the funeral of someone who commits suicide. The upset it causes the family, friends and community takes a considerable time to recover from and in some cases, they may never recover. I sincerely wish I had the formula to end this crisis, which is growing in my community at an alarming rate. I plead with people to show love, care and compassion to one another, talk to people who may be struggling as it may be them today and could well be oneself tomorrow, and extend the hand of friendship to try and ease the burden of pain so many carry at this time.

Mental health issues have no age boundaries. No matter what your age, it strikes and can bring anyone to his or her knees quickly. During the latter part of 2021, we heard from hospital consultants about the emerging tsunami of distressed young people presenting in crisis to the paediatric hospitals and the paediatric emergency departments due to mental health-related illnesses. However, hospital consultants also warned it was not possible to provide appropriate urgent in-patient care to children and adolescents due to the severe lack of beds for this group of patients. The Irish Hospital Consultants Association also stated that the number of adult psychiatry beds available for acute admissions had been reduced to the point where there were frequently no beds available at night in many of the community healthcare organisations. The association said this is causing an ongoing patient safety issue.

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