Latest news with #MentalHealthReform
Irish Examiner
15-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Advocates call for 'key changes' to Mental Health Bill to protect the 'rights and dignity' of patients
It is not too late to make changes to the Mental Health Bill and offer better dignity to people with mental illnesses, advocates and legal experts have urged. The bill has now concluded final stages in the Dáil and goes before the Seanad in the autumn. Minister of state for mental health Mary Butler described the bill as the 'most comprehensive overhaul of mental health laws in 20 years'. She said it provided for the regulation of community mental health services — including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services — by the Mental Health Commission among other reforms. Human rights lawyer and lecturer in international disability law at the Centre for Disability Law and Policy in Galway, Janos Fiala-Butora, is one of many raising concerns. A key issue is the criteria for involuntary admission to psychiatric units, he said. 'Psychiatric patients differ from other patients in one important way. If other patients reject the treatment offered, doctors cannot enforce it on them against their will. They have to offer alternatives and make an effort to convince them,' he said. They do not have to do that in the field of mental health, because involuntary treatment is readily available. That is a huge power, which must be wielded responsibly. He described the debate on the bill in recent months as 'quite disappointing' in an article for the online journal Mad in Ireland. Having represented dozens of patients and interviewed hundreds, he said abolishing involuntary treatment was preferable, but acknowledged the lack of alternatives for patients in crisis. He argued it was 'unfair to doctors' to expect them to police this approach. 'Pretending that all psychiatric patients who are rejecting treatment are doing so because they lack capacity will not get us closer to discussing what the proper contours of that power should be,' he cautioned. Social Democrat TD and psychologist Liam Quaide raised concerns about how the bill was rushed through the Dáil, with many last-minute amendments. He warned rejection of amendments on a right to an independent advocate or an independent complaints mechanism was worrying for patients. An amendment to bring in a reference to chemical restraints was also rejected. 'This is a deeply troubling omission as the practice of administering powerful, temporarily disabling sedatives is common in psychiatric settings [and] has serious implications for bodily autonomy and personal liberty,' he said. He also highlighted 'significant changes' to provisions around involuntary treatment. Many of these concerns were echoed by Mental Health Reform, which set out recommendations on seven issues. It also noted limited Dáil scrutiny with concern. It warned of 'particularly troubling' consequences from changes, including widened criteria for involuntary treatment and allowing for involuntary treatment to begin without a capacity assessment. A doubling of time allowed for involuntary treatment from 21 to 42 days was introduced, it said, 'at a late stage'. Independent advocacy and complaints are 'essential to uphold the rights and dignity' of people in vulnerable situations and should be included, it said. It welcomed a reduction in time to review the bill from 10 to five years. Overall, however, it urged that "there is still an opportunity to introduce key changes that would significantly strengthen the bill".
Irish Independent
10-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Mental health group says plan to extend duration of involuntary psychiatric treatment is ‘troubling'
Proposed changes to new legislation on mental health are troubling, according to a submission from Mental Health Reform (MHR). The organisation which is a coalition on mental health is calling on the Government to urgently address a number of amendments to the Mental Health Bill 2024 which it said 'risk undermining the rights of people experiencing mental health difficulties'.
Irish Independent
10-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Mental health groups says plan to extend duration of involuntary psychiatric treatment is ‘troubling'
Proposed changes to new legislation on mental health are troubling, according to a submission from Mental Health Reform (MHR). The organisation which is a coalition on mental health is calling on the Government to urgently address a number of amendments to the Mental Health Bill 2024 which it said 'risk undermining the rights of people experiencing mental health difficulties'.
Irish Independent
11-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Teens aged 16 and 17 in mental distress will have to attend an adult A&E instead of new children's hospital, committee hears
Dublin psychiatrist Prof Matthew Sadlier highlighted mental health law which defines a child as someone under eighteen. However, the cut-off point for children's hospitals is 16, which means those aged 16 and 17, who are in mental suffering, must go to an adult accident and emergency department where there is no child and adolescent mental health service, he added. 'If they need medical intervention they must go to an adult emergency department,' he added, calling for change. 'We are about to open a new national children's hospital and it is time for the ages to be aligned,' he said. He was speaking as the committee heard from psychiatrists, Mental Health Reform and the Mental Health Commission to give their views on the new Mental Health Bill 2024 which is aiming to update the law around the care and treatment of patients. Philip Watt, interim chief executive of Mental Health Reform and Stephen Sheil, interim communications and engagement manager said it saw the Bill as a "significant opportunity, a once-in-a-generation chance to modernise our mental health legislation and bring it into line with human rights standards, including Ireland's obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities." However, they said that it needs to be strengthened in different areas and "we are concerned that the Bill does not yet prohibit the admission of children to adult psychiatric units, which has been widely acknowledged as inappropriate and harmful'. "We recommend that the legislation include a clear statutory prohibition, which would reinforce the obligation to invest in appropriate child and adolescent services." Five children were admitted to adult psychiatric hospitals last year. Prof Sadlier said he was aware of a case where a teenager has to stay in an adult emergency department for a week . He is not in favour of a total ban on admitting children to adult psychiatric units. ADVERTISEMENT A number of amendments have been put forward to the proposed legislation. Asked by Labour party spokeswoman on health deputy Marie Sherlock what the view of psychiatrists is to the amendments around the care of involuntary patients psychiatrist Prof Brendan Kelly said they led to some improvements. However, he still had concerns about the criteria for involuntary admission which states that admission is 'immediately necessary for the protection of life of the person or that of another person or necessary for protection from an immediate and serious threat to the health of the person or that of other persons'. The use of risk as an admission criteria asks mental health care professionals to do something that lacks a firm evidence-base, and this risk criteria should be removed, he added. Assistant Garda Commissioner Paula Hilman told the committee of a pilot Community Access Support Team (CAST) project in Limerick. "This initiative is currently being trialled in partnership with the HSE in the Limerick Garda Division. The pilot started in January 2025 under 'A Policing Service for the Future' and is aimed at assisting people who are experiencing situational trauma or a mental health crisis." Its central goal is to reduce future presentations and interactions with Gardaí or other blue light emergency services, through community follow-ups and the case management of complex cases, she said. CAST has yet to be evaluated not only in terms of impact on individuals, but also on the amount of Garda time is being devoted to an area that is not a core function. "However, it is important to note that since its introduction, CAST has created greater integration among statutory and voluntary agencies operating in the Limerick Garda Division. It is grounded in international evidence."
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.
