Politicians want to know one thing in the run-up to
elections: what are the main issues affecting the people, but what issue
effects absolutely every member of the population?
With one in four people in Ireland being diagnosed with a
mental health illness at some point in their lives, mental health issues will affect
everyone in our country. Whether it be directly or through a family member,
friend, or relative, we will all ultimately be affected by a mental health
condition.
If our government wants to see any real change in this small
island nation of ours, we have to start changing our attitudes and approaches
to mental health issues.
According to the National Suicide Research Foundation,
554 people committed suicide last year alone. This death rate is higher than
the death rate for road accidents, lung cancer and house fires combined.
It is all too easy to push mental health illnesses aside and insist that the individual deal with it themselves.
Imagine if
we did the same for people suffering with lung problems or in need of a kidney
transplant. Telling visibly ill people that, ‘we simply do not have the
services to deal with this now’ or that ‘there are things you can do to help
yourself, you know…’
Mental health issues are like any other issue-they will not
go away unless we try to solve it. We need to introduce compulsory mental health
talks in schools and state funded check-ups by GPs on our mental well-being every
year.
Thousands of people in Ireland alone are suffering and how can our politicians expect us to be a strong and stable nation when its people are not?
Thousands of people in Ireland alone are suffering and how can our politicians expect us to be a strong and stable nation when its people are not?
I am just one voice urging our next government-whoever it may
be-whenever it sits down to discuss possible budget cuts and to lower social
spending, to consider the effects it will have on its people.
There are thousands of voices silently wishing the same
thing. For themselves or for someone they love. It is only when these wishes
are granted, and when these illnesses are acknowledged, that we will begin to
see real change.
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