Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on men's health. I commend the Minister of State on the investment she made in August to provide more than 15,000 free counselling sessions to men. This is really welcome because quite often men, and particularly young men, are afraid to speak about how they are doing, how they are coping with the pressures of life and how things are going. It is important that young men, and all men, are aware that these sessions are available and that they can avail of them through their GPs. I commend the Minister of State on that investment.

One thing we need to do is to move away from the mindset of "I will be grand". There is still a mindset of "It will be fine" or "I will be grand; don't worry about me". Men need to be encouraged to avail of services, engage with prevention and early detection and ensure they mitigate risks as and when they arise. There is also an onus to tackle isolation. The men's sheds movement and what it has achieved are incredible. I have met many of its members in my constituency, including in Athenry and Monivea. They provide an incredible service that leads to people having a space where they can meet, talk, engage and get the social connection that is being lost in our communities. It is important we meet men where they are. Many men are engaged in different activities such as in men's sheds or in their GAA clubs. We need to send information to these organisations to ensure as many men as possible are availing of relevant supports.

Another thing it is important to discuss briefly is the effect social media have on the mental health of young people, particularly the negative effects. Young people are under greater societal pressure than ever before because everything they do is being watched and they are also watching everything everyone else is doing. As a result, there is a huge comparison effect, which is having significant negative mental impacts on young people because they are not sure where they are supposed to be or what they are supposed to be doing.

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