Mike Watts, national programme co-ordinator of Grow.
Occupation: National programme co-ordinator of Grow, a mental health organisation which helps people who have suffered or are suffering from mental health problems, and a member of the Mental Health Commission.
Personal/family: Married to Fran with four children - Tom, Claire, Lizzi and Peadar.
What figure from the world of medicine or health do you most admire?
I admire Con Keogh, the founder of Grow, who got people to focus on mental health rather than mental illness and made the idea of recovery a possibility. Dr Terry Lynch, the author of Beyond Prozac, really stuck his neck out with his approach to medication and the validity of much medical research. I also admire Dr Tony Bates, who manages to bridge the chasm between professional and service user.
What other career might you have chosen?
Definitely something in farming or horticulture.
If you could grant three wishes for the health service, what would they be?
I would establish a free health service. I would implement the recovery model in mental health so that people have an expectation of recovery. I would also try to ensure that everyone takes responsibility for their own health so we are not so reliant on specialists and people are less prone to the dangers of excess.
What is your greatest fear?
I suffer from diabetes so my greatest fear is losing my sight.
Have you ever been a patient and were you a good one?
Yes, I suffer from mental illness, diabetes and I also have a thyroid condition. I have been quite a mixed patient but I try my best to be a good one.
When or where are you happiest?
At home doing anything in the garden, painting, listening to music, with friends, reading with my wife or spending time with my family in our lovely kitchen.
How do you cope with stress?
I'm a member of Grow so I'm well armed to cope with stress. I try to put it behind me and get into something I love. I love nature. If I get stressed, I go out for a walk and practise being grateful.
What is the trait you most admire in yourself?
I can get things done.
What is the trait you most dislike in yourself?
There's lots of them but one of the more frustrating ones is trying to store and sort information.
Do you use alternative or complementary medicine or therapies?
I would believe in a homeopathic or holistic approach but I'm not into all these remedies and extra health additives beyond a wholesome diet and lifestyle.
Who or what makes you laugh?
Life makes me laugh.
What is your motto?
Be happy.
What is your favourite TV or radio programme?
Vincent Brown Tonight on RTÉ Radio 1.
What books would you bring to a desert island?
I'd bring the collect works of one of my favourite authors. Maybe Dickens or Joyce. I'd also bring Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass.