Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister of State on her appointment and I wish her the best in her important role. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party, I would like to outline our message on mental health. Mental health issues continue silently to inflict immense damage on our country. The undercurrent of depression, anxiety and addiction is a profoundly ingrained problem for society, and no family is untouched by mental health issues. Beyond the striking statistics regarding suicide rates, the affliction of depression exacts a heavy toll on the day-to-day lives of very many people. We have successfully confronted dangerous challenges such as this. The spike in road fatalities that endangered a generation of motorists was tackled head on with the establishment of the Road Safety Authority, RSA, increased investment, the penalty points system and so on, and significant numbers of lives were saved annually. We need a similar concerted national approach to the devastating impact of mental health issues. Deputy Micheál Martin in an Ard-Fheis speech a number of years ago referred to the setting up of a mental health authority. If the Government set up such an authority with the same funding and emphasis as, for example, the RSA, it could prove similarly effective.

As a republican party, Fianna Fáil believes mental health policy is, ultimately, a question of citizenship. We believe people with mental health problems must be brought in from the periphery to the centre and encouraged and enabled to give full expression to their citizenship through employment, social engagement and the opportunity to contribute to their communities. As citizens, people with such problems have the right to equality of access and the full range of modern, cost-effective and therapeutically impactful treatments and not to be bound to the classic services of the past. Access to services must not be dependent on where people live or their earnings. The citizenship approach dovetails well with the recovery model of mental health care whereby recovery is built on a partnership approach between the person and his or her mental health care team. The model moves away from the paternalistic psychiatrist model of the past and towards a more multidisciplinary co-operative approach. The recovery model recognises that treatment is not merely about the alleviation of symptoms but about working with the person to ensure he or she can live a productive and meaningful life, despite the vulnerabilities that may continue to exist. They should be equipped with the skills, self-understanding and resources to help prevent relapse.

Flowing from that is the vision that mental health is a whole of society concern given its prevalence and its impact on individuals, their families, communities and employment. Mental health policy should be aimed primarily at preventative measures, early action when problems begin to surface and early intervention with children and their families.This approach must extend beyond the health system and be integrated with all aspects of life, including education, planning, employment and communities. The ultimate aim is to create a mentally healthy society.

Fianna Fáil's vision for mental health and well being is built on five key principles. First, public policy ought to ensure people with mental health problems are included in society and enabled and assisted in playing their part therein. Second, the recovery model of mental health care is the most appropriate in terms of individuals' well being and enhancing and defending citizenship. Third, mental health should be taken as seriously as physical health in the deployment of resources, health and safety measures and public planning. Fourth, the emphasis should be on early intervention and early action, as the Minister of State mentioned. Fifth, mental health policy must be mainstreamed across society in order to promote mental well-being and reduce the risk of mental ill health.

We need to enhance the National Office for Suicide Prevention, NOSP, increase the number of suicide prevention resource officers, expand their role and link them directly with the NOSP. We must ensure all general practitioners, GPs, are adequately resourced to provide comprehensive help for individuals at risk of dying by suicide. A system of GP practice must be put in place whereby the prescribing of anti-depressant medication must be reviewed on a monthly basis until the GP is satisfied that the taking of medication is the best course of action. We must establish out-of-hours emergency social worker teams across the State.

Regarding Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, CAMHS, the principle of early intervention is critical, as properly addressing mental health problems in early childhood and the adolescent years leads to better educational outcomes, avoids severe mental health issues later, improves quality of life and is more cost effective than later treatment. We need to end the practice of placing children in adult inpatient units and should focus on holistic and accessible services that minimise the use of inpatient beds. The provision of counselling and a seamless integration with schools and education policy must also be central to plans. Within schools, all teachers should receive mental health training so as to equip them to identify, support and refer children with mental health problems. We must restore guidance counsellors to secondary schools; every school should have a named CAMHS worker and all children should have access to counselling services through their schools. We would anticipate a universal health check being carried out when children receive their booster vaccinations in sixth class or first year in secondary school. This check would include a mental health assessment to identify developing or existing mental health problems, thus allowing for early and efficient treatment.

We all know that this is a major issue. It affects every family in the country, every neighbourhood, every community and every workplace. We must ensure we will do everything possible to improve the service provided. I wish the Minister of State well in her role.