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Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Charity hits out at 'fundamentally inaccurate' warnings about draft Mental Health Bill
A row has broken out over the impact of the draft Mental Health Bill with the national charity SHINE saying warnings of negative impacts are 'fundamentally inaccurate'. The draft bill was published last year to much concern from psychiatrists and will be discussed at the first sitting of the Oireachtas Health Committee on Wednesday. The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) is expected to criticise criteria for involuntary admission, timing of patients' psychosocial assessment, and care plan regulations. Professor Matthew Sadlier, a psychiatrist and chair of the IMO consultants committee, is due to say: 'Effectively, where a patient is found to lack capacity to consent to treatment, the bill would lead to a situation where rather than treating patients, consultants will be required to make an application to the High Court to get permission to do so.' He is expected to warn that patients with serious mental illness could be denied 'the right to timely and often life-saving medical treatment'. He is also due to discuss the practicalities of the proposals and is expected to say, while around 760 psychiatrists are needed, Ireland only has 570 approved posts, with almost 30% unfilled or filled on a temporary basis. However SHINE CEO, Nicola Byrne, has raised concerns about 'deeply stigmatising language and worrying predictions' used in discussions over the last few months. 'Claims that the bill abandons individuals with severe mental illness or removes the ability to intervene when someone is unwell and lacks the capacity to understand their situation or the need for help are fundamentally inaccurate,' she said. "This legislation aims to provide a clearer, more rights-respecting framework for involuntary mental healthcare.' She defended the proposed admission criteria, saying: 'The legislation is designed to intervene when a mental disorder presents specific risks or urgent treatment needs.' There are already 'significant safeguards' in the Bill, she argued. 'What is too often missing from these discussions is the reality that the vast majority of people living with psychosis or schizophrenia are not in crisis, they are studying, working, parenting, volunteering, and contributing to their communities like anyone else,' she said. Read More Suzanne Crowe: People with severe mental illness will be failed by proposed new law
Irish Examiner
07-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Urgent need to fill gaps in care for those with psychosis, survey finds
More crisis support outside of hospitals for people with psychosis is urgently needed, along with significant expansion of existing supports, a new report has recommended. Psychosis affects how the brain processes information, so a person may find it difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is not. The Psychosis Survey 2024, published on Wednesday, is based on feedback from almost 400 people with this condition and others. Shine CEO Nicola Byrne said investment in early intervention services is growing, but concerns remain. She highlighted a 'postcode lottery' that has left gaps in many areas. Some 42.3% of those who responded said expanding numbers of psychosis teams is their top priority. More funding including money for staffing was also called for by respondents. The report quotes one parent saying: 'When my son was involved in X mental health services, I received a lot of support from local mental health services. They were always helpful and there for me and his family. 'My son then moved to a different mental health service, and I feel this service is totally unsupportive to family members.' Ms Byrne said in regions offering early intervention: 'People have a much better experience, they are much happier and much clearer, they have more understanding of what supports they can get.' The survey found only 14.4% of people using general mental health services had 'easy access to support' compared to 42.9% of people using early intervention in psychosis services. In addition over 70% found media portrayals of psychosis 'inaccurate', and 54% experienced workplace stigma. One person said: 'Almost all forms of media highlight only negative outcomes of those living with psychosis or having violent psychotic episodes which end in harm to others. The mental illness is incredibly stigmatised and rarely are the lack of supports for patients and friends/family highlighted. Shine says public education campaigns including schools are needed. This was ranked as the third most important priority by those answering the survey. 'I think we need to be looking at having better conversations about understanding what mental illness is,' Ms Byrne said. 'Until we have that understanding we will never have parity with physical illness.' Many people said charities help fill the gaps in State services. One person said: "If it wasn't for the support of Shine, I probably would not have been able to cope having a family member with severe psychosis who still after years has not been treated." Minister of State for mental health Mary Butler welcomed improvements seen by people using the early intervention services. 'My department allocated funding in Budget 2025 to set up two new early intervention teams in Dublin and Limerick. A further 24 roles are being funded across the two new teams at a cost of €2.8m,' she said. There are now seven teams. The survey was carried out by Shine, Mental Health Reform, and the HSE National Clinical Programme for Early Intervention in Psychosis. It can be read online from Wednesday.
