In spite of criticisms that are made at home Ireland is one of the most advanced countries in the EU in its approach to mental health and the development of a national policy, according to the president of Mental Health Europe.
Malgorzata Kmita said that the Irish National Action Plan and the projects Ireland presented at EU meetings were excellent. Ms Kmita, a psychotherapist, acknowledged she did not know the specifics of Ireland's funding for mental health, the levels of suicide or of strategy implementation, "but the message, at least, that comes from Ireland is strong. It is the country that cares." She was addressing Mental Health Ireland's annual conference in Wexford at the weekend.
The Irish voluntary organisation, with 104 affiliated branches around the State, this year marks its 40th anniversary, while Mental Health Europe is celebrating its 21st. Mental Health Europe is a Brussels-based non-governmental organisation that promotes mental health and wellbeing.
Brian Howard, chief executive of Mental Health Ireland, said "the problem, as always, is implementation".
Ireland's new mental health strategy, published in January - Vision for Change - was a very good policy document, he said. However, five months after its publication there had been no move to appoint a directorate, or implementation body, which had been promised within weeks.
The new strategy aims to close mental hospitals and put greater emphasis on community care, and envisages that Mental Health Ireland and its affiliates would play a crucial role in helping services move to community care. Mr Howard said, however, that the biggest challenge facing Mental Health Ireland was to retain the volunteers it had and recruit new ones. Volunteerism "is under threat from lifestyle changes and the Celtic Tiger".
Ms Kmita, a native of Poland who has lived in Britain since 1973, said the new expanded Europe now had a "golden opportunity" through the current consultation process on a European green paper, "to put mental health on the priority agenda". She said that the green paper emphasised social inclusion and dealt with ways to combat depression and suicide in Europe and linked mental health with EU policies on health, nutrition, obesity, human rights, employment and the rationale of service delivery.
"Our economies cannot exist without the mental wellbeing of citizens. Therefore, health and mental health stand for social progress," said Ms Kmita.
Europe was in a transition phase and while companies relocated services from west to east for financial gain, and individuals moved from east to west to earn an income, "the consequences for mental health are huge".
She gave the example of a woman who had moved from eastern Europe to Britain to work and send home money to her husband and children.
"The human cost of this work is very high for this woman. Very often people in such situations endure very high mental stress and unbearable social exclusion from families, children and communities."