Averil Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yes. A lower allocation of €20 million has been provided for mental health services in this year's budget, which I find very worrying. The provision of €35 million is a drop in the ocean in terms of what is needed in this area. There is no doubt that we have under-spent in this area for a long time, and not only in the past two years. We have never given mental health the priority it deserves. In the UK, 12% of the entire health budget is spent on mental health services. The percentage here is much lower. What was provided for in A Vision for Change sought only to bring mental health service provision up to 8%. This issue has not been afforded sufficient priority for years.

The launch of A Vision for Change was taken as a signal of change and the provision of resources. While some progress has been made, it is not enough. During his attendance in the House in respect of the legislation for the new HSE system I debated with the Minister, Deputy Reilly, the need for a designated person for mental health within the new HSE structure. I welcome that an appointment in this regard has been made. However, I do not believe sufficient resources are in place. I share Senator Crown's concern in regard to the dismantling of existing services without having new ones in place.

There is a need for a huge cultural change across Irish society on this issue. We need to start to normalise debate of mental health issues with our young children, from preschool level to adulthood. We must make them aware that everyone experiences difficult times in their lives and to acknowledge this and to seek help is a sign of strength rather than a sign weakness. While I welcome that the Minister for Education has published guidelines in this regard for second level schools, I believe there is a need for guidelines at preschool and primary school level. I did some work on the Fianna Fáil paper on youth mental health, which involved a great deal of consultation with schools. I am aware that Senator Gilroy has been involved in a wide consultation process on the broader issue of suicide, which issue we have worked on together on a cross-party basis. However, there is a gap in this strategy. While schools welcome that there are now guidelines in place they have little resources in terms of the delivery of initiatives and practical supports on the ground. They also believe that when a suicide occurs many of the issues around it should be adequately resolved through support at school level. Some young people require access to professional mental health services, including, in some instances, acute care there are huge gaps in terms of child and adolescent mental health services provision. It is stressful for a teacher when a student who is experiencing difficulties from a mental health point of view cannot access resources.

In terms of this motion, I share the view that this issue needs to be given greater priority. I welcome that the motion, which seeks to highlight the need for greater emphasis on mental health, was tabled by the Labour Party Senators. I hope that the next time we debate this issue more concrete progress will have been made. This is a huge issue and not only in terms of suicide, the rates of which have alarmed us all. I live in Sutton which is not far from Howth. Every couple of weeks a person drives to the pier in Howth with the intention of taking his or her life. Not only are the families of people who have committed suicide in great distress, the level of depression across Irish society, caused by a wide range of issues, not least the recession, are frightening. A lot more needs to be done. There are many good precedents, for example, in terms of the work done to change people's attitudes to drink driving and road safety. Far more people than are killed on our roads are now dying by suicide. There is a need for a serious campaign, adequately resourced, in an effort to bring about a mind-shift in terms of mental health.

We are all aware of the suicide rates. People are, perhaps, now talking more about mental health than they did a few years ago because of the increase in suicide, including the death by suicide of the young girls in Donegal and others which hit the headlines. However, we know from surveys that people remain petrified of other people finding out they suffer from depression, including employers and their peers. This is frightening. We need to find a way to completely change this mindset. This will only happen by way of a concerted and adequately resourced campaign on the issue of mental health, as has been done in other countries such as Australia. I urge the Minister of State to consider that.