“NUI Maynooth Study Underscores Need for government to get serious about tackling the Mental Health crisis”

“NUI Maynooth Study Underscores Need for government to get serious about tackling the Mental Health crisis” – Tóibín

Aontú leader, Peadar Tóibín TD has reacted to a study from the University of Maynooth showing widespread mental health problems across Ireland.

Speaking today, Deputy Tóibín said: “According to a newly published study, 42% of Irish adults have a mental health disorder – that’s nearly one in two citizens - and over 10% have attempted suicide. Insomnia, depression and anxiety are running rampant in our communities. This is a national emergency.”

Deputy Tóibín continued: “This crisis is being exacerbating by the state haemorrhaging mental health staff to foreign countries. Irish psychiatrists, mental health nurses, psychologists and other health care professionals are leaving because they can’t perform to their optimal level as a result of the constraints under which services attempt to operate.”

“The spiralling cost of living crisis is going to add more stress and pressure to people’s lives. The government needs to prepare for this and implement strategies to mitigate these threats. There needs to be increased investment in staff and facilities that can offer a wider set of services in mental health. We also need early intervention and to immediately tackle the backlog in CAMHS waiting lists. The urgency with which this crisis needs to be tackled cannot be overstated”, concluded Tóibín.

CRÍOCH

The Irish political system is radically broken

In Ireland the vast majority of elected representatives put a finger in the air to check which way the political wind is blowing. They have one eye on their leaders – seeking brownie points – and another eye keeping their seat safe. If elected reps shut up and do as they’re told, they are promoted; if they stand up for what they believe in, they are demoted. No wonder we have the political class we have. No wonder one point one billion euro is being buried in a hole under the National Children’s Hospital and that Stormont is in stalemate.

Throughout Ireland, many people are now afraid to say what they feel, many are afraid to respectfully engage on a range of different topics. Many feel there is a new censorship and a new political correctness in Ireland, that opposition to the establishment is being deleted.

Respectful opposition is not the enemy. Respectful opposition is a critical element of a functional democracy. Aontú will have the backbone to stand up, without fear, for you.