THE BATTLE FOR WELLBEING

Can Ireland’s mental health services keep up with the demand?

by Tom Prior

Each year, October 10th marks the celebration of World Mental Health Day. Beginning in 1992, events take place around the globe that help spotlight the often silent strug- gle of those living with mental health issues. Last year’s theme was suicide prevention, and here at home, Mental Health Ireland organised a Mental Health Week where various events and activities pertaining to mental health awarness were carried out throughout the country. It would appear that everything is being done now to break the stigma of mental health and make sure that nobody ever has to suffer in silence. However, whilst there is a new culture surrounding mental health in Ireland, there is also a lack of ability by the Irish government to tackle a largely growing problem.

I’m a student here at Griffith College who suffers from anxiety and depression, and oftentimes the stresses of college can become a breaking point for me. With so much negativity in the world, pressure, expectancy and perfec- tionism, it can be too much for people like me who strug- gle day in and day out. Earlier last year, things got so bad that I tried taking my own life. I ended up in St. James’s Hospital where the wait to see the doctor was over two hours, plus there was an additional two more hours spent waiting in order to be seen by a professional psychiatrist. Already in a fragile state, and being made to wait for nearly five hours, it felt like it was going to take me forever to get the help I came for.

This is the reality of the mental health services in this country: long hours for specialists and long waiting hours for patients. An Irish Times article from 2018 reported that the OECD Health at a Glance report from the same year found that poor mental health is costing the state €8.2 billion a year. The same article also stated that the European average for mental health issues is every one out of six persons, and in a survey on mental health illness in Europe, Ireland ranked a joint third out of 36 countries, meaning that Ireland has one of the highest rates of mental illness in Europe. In a report published last year by the Union of Students Ireland (USI), it was stated that one third of third level students go through or suffer from a mental health issues. These facts and figures are quite alarming.

Budget 2020, announced by the Irish government in October of last year, was the final blow to everyday people in this country who suffer from mental health problems. Mental Health Reform (the national coalition on mental health) pointed out that Budget 2020 failed to address the mental health crisis by offering extra services for those in need.

The OECD report mentioned earlier on in this article also stated that 18.5 per cent of people in Ireland suffer from a bipolar disorder or from schizophrenia. It was even mentioned by Jim Daly, Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People, that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the services of this country. He obviously didn’t read the statistics provided by healthcare professionals who issued them to the Department.

Mental health is the most important thing in our society that ensures the wellbeing of our citizens. Without it, there is a breakdown of the social order, which will even- tually lead to further chaos, especially if there are more cutbacks to services. Mental health is also paramount to the success of students on campus.

Some of the biggest challenges that students face are social media, high standards one has for themselves, outside pressures and even unhealthy substances like alcohol, smoking and drugs. I know all of these things because I have experienced them and trust me, they are not great. One must remind oneself that sometimes it is ok to not be ok.

So, as we continue to fight for better mental health reform, we have to challenge those from above and not those from below. Because the ones below are not just patients; they are doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists and mental health professions who may not be receiving due credit for help- ing those who need it, because sometimes, it’s those who are helping people that need help themselves.

Note: If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, the Students’ Union connects students with a free confidential counselling service. Students can avail of this service by sending an email to counselling@griffith.ie, or contacting the service by phone at: 085 152 1511.