Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is very welcome to the Chamber. Last March, we went through a period of uncertainty and upheaval never experienced before. We could no longer plan ahead or look forward with confidence. We lost the spontaneity of life. People’s livelihoods were put on hold and financial debts accumulated. All the simple things we took for granted evaporated as anxiety and fear gripped society. Families crammed around a single computer and stress levels increased and were sustained. Children stopped playing together. New school entrants were advised to keep a distance with no high-fives, play, sport or hugging. This is all against a natural path of development for children.

Musicians and performers lost their audiences. Stadia fell silent, weddings were postponed and graduation ceremonies never happened properly or at all. There were no leaving certificate goodbyes or no debs balls. Third level students remained in apartments gaping at computer monitors, with no exposure or participation in one of the most vital parts of third level life; savouring the university of life.

The world stands still. It is almost as if normal life has been brought to a halt, but at what price in terms of mental health illness? Some experts are predicting a tsunami of mental illness but, perhaps, that tsunami has already happened and has not been documented. Our health system has always been under-resourced and underfunded. Mental health has been the sad Cinderella; the poor relation when it comes to the overall health budget. Although some funding improvements in recent years have happened, it is not enough. What happens now? Are we analysing properly, or at all, the mental health price of Covid-19 and the hit people are taking?Young people are being deprived of representing their clubs, counties and schools in everything from debating competitions, GAA and tennis to rugby and everything else in between. We must do so much more than focusing our attention, including media attention, on the tragic numbers of daily Covid deaths and cases.

All deaths and illnesses associated with this pandemic are heartbreaking but suicide has a shattering effect on families that never lifts or heals. I mention self-harm, anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. People need help now. Some need urgent intervention and more people will need help as this living nightmare throws its dark shadow over generations. Who is the advocate for mental health in NPHET's deliberations? People would like to be assured that such advocacy and such a voice will be heard, prioritised and placed front and centre. Can NPHET assure us of that? I know the Government respects NPHET. It is not a politician's electorate but the people of Ireland. Who is speaking up for mental wellness when NPHET compiles its recommendations?

As recently as this morning, it has been reported that psychiatrists in England are warning of a significant increase in pandemic eating disorders, with Covid-19 isolation blamed as the numbers of children with anorexia and bulimia soars, with fears for similar increases among adults. Eating disorders have thrived in this Covid environment as, for some, the focus on eating becomes a way of coping, coupled with the lack of physical activity, fear and uncertainty, and this fuels anxiety symptoms. Unfortunately, the evidence to date is incomplete and it will take considerable time to measure the true impact of Covid-19. What has been statistically proven among healthcare workers, however, according to the Irish Medical Journaland Trinity College's Professor Brendan Kelly, is that the rate of significant psychological stress among healthcare workers is approximately double that among the general population. They want more than a round of applause from people. To ameliorate this and if we want to help in a real way, healthcare staff require careful rostering, the ability to take leave, organisational support from employers, and, where necessary, psychological first aid.

Experts have expressed the opinion that the combined effect of the pandemic and associated restrictions and isolation is that approximately one person in every five in the general population in Ireland and elsewhere has suffered significantly increased psychological distress. Some 623 consultant psychiatrists registered with the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland completed an online questionnaire back in May and June. They are not very recent data but they are worrying. Their findings included proof of a running relapse of mental illness and an increase in the number of emergency referrals. Multiple factors of the lockdown were contributing to emergency presentations in hospitals. These presentations were believed to be primarily down to increased isolation, reduced access to face-to-face secondary mental health supports, reduced access to local counselling supports,reduced access to GPs, increased reliance on drugs and alcohol and domestic abuse in the home. Child and adolescent psychiatrists specifically highlighted school closures as contributing to stress and emergency presentations. I am not into the blame game but I urge everyone to remember that as we try to get our schools back to work and get everyone around the table as soon as possible.

I emphasise that the usage of mental health services is not a reliable indicator of need because the number of people who presented for self-harm was down 25%. One would think that is good but it is not because the number of people who presented for other causes is down 40%. It is just not documented. Are environmentalists are happy there is a reduction in carbon emissions this year in the incredible year we have had? They are not so we cannot rely on that data for presentations or take any succour at all from them. The effects of the pandemic on suicide are not yet clear because of this. Now is the time to act. We should act in anticipation of the worst-case scenario and not wait for statistical confirmation to warrant and vindicate an effective response.