Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Can we get back to encouraging people to be resilient? To invite people to count their blessings, as we all should, is not to ignore the problems that we face because there are resources and there is support. Yes, there are things that are lacking and, yes, there are problems and we must be ceaselessly energetic about addressing them but there has to be a national consensus about the need to get positive in the face of the challenge. I would invite RTÉ and other media to get out of the one-track zone of seeing things through the lens of power and conflict, or panic and anxiety. We need something more and we need something better.

Specifically in terms of mental health, we started from a position pre-Covid where mental health spending comprised 6% of our health budget compared with 12% in the UK and across Europe. As I said during a Private Members' motion on direct provision centres, which I proposed in 2019 and which was adopted unanimously, the State still does not take mental health as seriously as it does physical health. Therefore, even after additional billions of euro being spent on health this year we begin dealing with the fallout from Covid from a poor starting position. That has to be said. The challenges faced by mental health services are, potentially, daunting. We urgently need to build capacity for increased services and increased need specifically to deal with the knock-on effects of lockdown such as loneliness, isolation and alcohol abuse. I note what has been said about the coincidence of addiction and mental health issues in the context of both drug and alcohol abuse, and I will come to gambling in a moment.

I will deal with the knock-on effects of the lockdown, the likely effects of a further economic slump that we may face post Covid - and I am probably starting to sound like the national broadcaster now - not helped by Brexit and, most important, the neuro-psychiatric complications of Covid itself. Before Christmas I read about a study conducted on the Continent. It found that of those who had been hospitalised with Covid 12% went on to have symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, 27% had anxiety and more than 50% reported severe or chronic fatigue.We have heard anecdotal reports of the latter phenomenon. If this is indicative, we must plan seriously for the major problems that will be faced by people who have recovered from the virus, not to mention the wider population. Certain people with serious mental issues, such as schizophrenia, will undoubtedly have worst outcomes in the event of contracting Covid-19. We must consider whether these people should be vaccinated earlier in the schedule. Perhaps the Minister of State will tell us if that has been considered or if she will consider it.

We must be careful with regard to suicide. I recently spoke to a senior, eminent professional working in the area of psychiatry and the view is that while there is a great deal of anecdotal evidence that suicide rates have increased in the past year, there is no evidence in the official statistics of any increase in Ireland or the UK. While this may change, we need to be careful and not be alarmist. The best advice from doctors and mental health groups is that the discussion of suicide should never overstate its prevalence because this, in itself, has a triggering effect on vulnerable people.