DISCRIMINATION AGAINST people with mental health problems was still “a very, very live issue”, a conference hosted by the Mental Health Commission heard yesterday.
Paddy McGowan, a lecturer in mental health issues at the DIT school of nursing, said having suffered with a mental illness for over a decade still caused “major problems”.
He added that “stigma is still a very, very live issue for anyone with a mental illness”.
Dr Edmond O’Dea, chairman of the Mental Health Commission, said the purpose of the conference, held to mark World Mental Health Day, was to raise awareness of the need for peer advocates for people experiencing mental illness.
“Some progress has been made in Ireland in recent years in removing the stigma from mental illness. We published a report recently that showed a majority of people agreed there should be increased investment in in mental health services,” he said.
He said it was vital mental health services should not be seen as a “soft target” for cutbacks in Tuesday’s budget.
Yesterday’s conference also heard from Ruairí McKiernan, founder of Spunout.ie, a website aimed at young people feeling the pressures of modern life.
