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Overhaul of Ireland's mental health law further delayed despite Govt promises for progress

It is close to ten years since an expert group tasked with reviewing the Mental Health Act 2001 recommended 165 changes to the law.

THE LONG AWAITED overhaul of Ireland’s mental health laws has been pushed out yet again, despite promises by government ministers that the legislation would progress before the summer. 

As previously reported by The Journal, Fiona Coyle, CEO of Mental Health Reform, said the protracted delay in publishing the Mental Health Amendment Bill is “completely unacceptable”, adding that the Government has been drafting the legislation “since 2016″.

The legislation will update the Mental Health Act 2001. The new bill would bring about the largest overhaul of the State’s mental health laws in decades.

It is close to ten years since an expert group tasked with reviewing the Mental Health Act 2001 recommended 165 changes to the law.

The Heads of the Mental Health Bill, outlining what will be in the legislation, were published in July 2021 and pre-legislative scrutiny was completed in May 2022.

In February, Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe said the government would bring forward the bill in the summer legislative session. 

The proposed legislation would strengthen regulation around people consenting to the type of treatment they receive.

It will also regulate CAMHS, which is vital, as the majority of mental health services in Ireland currently fall outside the scope of regulation set out under the 2001 Act.

A government spokesperson confirmed the further delays to the progression of the legislation, stating that the it is hoped that the bill will be enacted in Q3 of this year.

As a result, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly having to seek government to approval for one amendment to the Mental Health Act 2001 today.

Cabinet approval was sought today to change the term of Mental Health Tribunal (MHT) panel members from 3 years to 5 years.

This amendment will be legislated for at Report Stage in the Health (Miscellaneous Provision) (No. 2) Bill, currently being debated in the Dáil, which aims to enhance the regulatory framework for nursing homes.

The change to the term of Mental Health Tribunal (MHT) panel members from 3 years to 5 years was due to be included in the upcoming Mental Health Bill.

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18 Comments
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    Mute John Sleator
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    Jun 26th 2024, 7:14 AM

    I wish they put as much consideration into suicide awareness as they do into road safety,how about a slow down suicide campaign now and then but I guess there’s no revenue in that.
    I was struggling recently and had an appointment with a psychiatrist,went to the appointment and had a tick box interview with an assistant who then left to pass on my assessment with the psychiatrist and returned to tell me there was no need for any further help and gave me a post it note with a freephone helpline number.
    Luckily enough I was in a better place at the time as the appointment took so long to get and I had improved,too many people are not as fortunate.

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    Mute ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
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    Jun 26th 2024, 7:24 AM

    @John Sleator: @John Sleator: Suicide does not affect the profits of insurance companies.

    Road safety does.

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    Mute brian madden
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    Jun 26th 2024, 8:31 AM

    @John Sleator: you get talk theraphy for 6-8 sessions free. This amount of time is not enough if you have deep-rooted issues. Specialist theraphy like EMDR for trauma are not covered. They are more than happy to throw tablets at you to treat the symptoms with the root cause not being addressed.

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    Mute Paul H
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    Jun 26th 2024, 9:15 AM

    @John Sleator: no one cares especially when its men.

    38
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    Mute Clare Power
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    Jun 26th 2024, 9:38 AM

    @Paul H: or children!

    31
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    Mute Paul H
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    Jun 26th 2024, 9:15 AM

    Death by suicide is twice what road deaths are here, 80% of which are males. No one gives two duks about men if this was the lGBQT community or women it would be high priority. Its not reported on in the news or at a local level so has no stain on the government’s 100 of millions spend every year on road safely campaigns. Zero on metal heath. Lots of people crying for help with no-one answering.

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    Mute brian madden
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    Jun 26th 2024, 9:49 AM

    @Paul H: you ate incorrect zbout the lgbt community. the lgbt community are more prone to mental health issues. Stonewall in uk reports that 50 per cent of lgbt suffer from depression and 60 per from anxiety. According to them, one in eight lgbt of 18-24 in the previous year attempted suicide.

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    Mute brian madden
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    Jun 26th 2024, 9:51 AM

    @Paul H: it is very true that there is little help out there. Especially long term specialist counselling. They treat the symptoms with meds but not underlying causes. Getting an outpatient appt is very difficult.

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    Mute ben wu
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    Jun 26th 2024, 6:21 AM

    As someone that has faced the types that have appointments to those MHT’s, and won..I’m baffled as to why giving them a longer term is in anyone’s interest but their own.
    The only reason that the needed changes have been pushed back for so long, is because of a bean counter muppet that holds the purse strings.

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    Mute Robert Halvey
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    Jun 26th 2024, 8:02 AM

    Imagine if we had equality of care the ffg entitled chancers and there lackeys would become irrelevant

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    Mute Ger Whelan
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    Jun 26th 2024, 8:33 AM

    @Robert Halvey: imagine if people like you who have all the answers actually put their name forward for the election and actually fix things. But alas that won’t happen will it?.

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    Mute Michael o connor
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    Jun 26th 2024, 6:42 AM

    Good old fianna gael liars, the fools that vote for them are easily bought every election!

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    Mute SV3tN8M4
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    Jun 26th 2024, 10:13 AM

    Current Govt continually over promise & under deliver, continuously failing the Irish people. They are all spin, bluff, flapping of hands & now dishing out lucrative positions amongst themselves, we might as well be run by a Despot.

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    Mute Damien Leahy
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    Jun 26th 2024, 10:58 AM

    But but but sinn fein. Same shite out of this lot and people never learn. The only thing this government is good at is making a complete shambles of everything.

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    Mute RIP
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    Jun 26th 2024, 2:23 PM

    Only yesterday we had the shocking reports from the Mental Health Commission and now this, which is completely unacceptable

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    Mute Gerald Kelleher
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    Jun 26th 2024, 9:40 AM

    When the Enlightenment subculture emerged in the 17th century, that subculture attributed everything to reason, the mental faculties or the Age of Reason as it is known. It left no room for the perceptive faculties, which deal with depression as a journey, even though it is extremely unpleasant, with the lack of feeling for others and life. The other side is that this journey is also a growth of personality where a less creative and productive older life is set aside to make way for something new.

    Until the denomination churches decided that Christianity was about avoiding going to a physical hell, many of its saints or great Christian writers were guides to a journey through an individual hell into calmer waters.

    https://ccel.org/ccel/anonymous/theologia/theologia.v.XI.html

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    Mute Gerald Kelleher
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    Jun 26th 2024, 9:56 AM

    It is good that people receive encouragement from counsellors or medication if they feel low. On the other hand, people who are creative and productive in terms of talent are expected to be buffeted by experiences that require personal discipline when faced with external and internal pressures.

    With some exceptions, denominational Christianity no longer provides the direction where negative experiences serve productive ends. St Francis understood that facing external and internal challenges defines a person as a lifelong journey.

    https://www.missa.org/joie_parfaite_e.php

    Faith is a perceptive/reasoning journey rather than a mental or reasoning thing.
    The early 20th century saw the rise of mental health and the decline in faith where the latter is mocked despite its relevance today.

    11
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