Dr John Owens, consultant psychiatrist, is on the couch this week
Occupation: Consultant psychiatrist and chairman of the Mental Health Commission.
Personal/family: Married to Brenda with five sons and seven grandchildren.
What figure from the world of medicine or health do you most admire? I admire Dr Dermot Walsh, the former inspector of mental hospitals, whose contribution to the Irish mental health service over many years has been outstanding.
What other career might you have chosen? A sailor or a meteorologist. There is, after all, a connection between those careers and what I am now.
If you could grant three wishes for the health service, what would they be? I would make certain that the Mental Health Commission would be successful in its responsibility to ensure user rights and high quality in the delivery of mental health services. I would see that the new mental health policy document, A Vision for Change, would be fully and speedily implemented. Finally, regarding the health service in general, I would ensure that, at long last, a quality management system would be established.
What is your greatest fear? Being really honest, it's the psychiatrist's couch.
Have you ever been a patient and were you a good one? Yes, I was an in-patient once, and it taught me the importance of nursing care.
When or where are you happiest? Doing clinical work.
How do you cope with stress? If it's really bad I go walking in the Cooley Mountains.
What is the trait you most admire in yourself? A good sense of humour.
What is the trait you most dislike in yourself? Inability to keep a diary and organise my daily work routine.
Do you use alternative or complementary medicine or therapies? No.
Who or what makes you laugh? I can find humour in most things. The humour of Spike Milligan has always had an appeal.
What is your motto? Never put off tomorrow what you can do today, but I've never been able to live up to this.
What is your favourite TV or radio programme? News and documentaries.
What books would you bring to a desert island? I'd bring Malcolm Muggeridge's A Third Testament, Richard Tarnas's Passion of the Western Mind and the biggest anthology of poetry I could carry.
(Interview by Fiona Tyrrell)