Browne urges Minister to sort out mental health services

Tipperary Sinn Féin TD Martin Browne relayed the concerns of a county Tipperary student at the mental health services available for young people when he addressed the Dáil on Wednesday. 

Deputy Browne was speaking on the topic of Youth Mental Health, which took place against the backdrop of a review of the care of more than 1,300 children who attended the HSE-run South Kerry Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.

Teachta Browne said: “This week I received an email from a 16 year-old from Co Tipperary about what she termed as ‘the mental health crisis in Ireland’.

“Owing to her experiences of losing friends and the nature of her encounters with mental health services, she felt it was important to make an appeal to her political representatives to do all they can to make a change for the better. I relayed these concerns in the Dáil on Wednesday", Deputy Browne said.

“With a delayed Jigsaw service experiencing 7 week waiting times at the start of the last quarter of last year, it is beyond time that the government gets a grip on the seriousness with which adequate and accessible services for young people are made available. What kind of a country are we living in when a 16-year-old who should be enjoying her youth, instead has to write to me to make this case for her and for the many other young people who feel abandoned by the system?

“Tipperary has seen the closure of St Michael’s inpatient unit. People in urgent need have to present at A&E. Resource Centres who facilitate counselling services are living hand to mouth because of a lack of sustained funding.

“And the services that people, both young and old can get, are often determined by their postcode rather than need. This is apparent when you look at the difference between North and South Tipperary in terms of the number of children waiting a year or more for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and Child Primary Care Psychology services.

“This game of chance that is being playing with the mental health of our children is the result of a
chaotic strategy on the part of the government which cut additional funding by 50% recently. Young people must be listened to. They must be enabled to enjoy their younger years instead of having to worry about mental health service provision”, Deputy Browne said.