Lend a hand to Mental Health Reform

Mental health is a huge issue in Ireland today, with experts estimating that over half of young people will experience a mental health problem by the age of 24.

On top of that, around 300,000 people are believed to be suffering from depression in this country at any one time, and reports released just last week indicated that the number of suicides here reached an all-time peak in 2011 compared to records from previous years.

So, what can you do to help? Mental Health Reform want you to sign their petition which calls on the Government to ensure that funding is maintained at a decent level for mental health services.

They’re calling on the Taoiseach and ministers to allocate an extra €50 million to community mental health services in next month’s budget (according to the organisation’s figures, funding for mental health services dropped by nearly €200 million between 2006 and 2012!)

Mental Health Reform works to educate the wider population about issues affecting people’s mental health. They also promote other bodies that speak out about such topics, and encourage the State to supply adequate services and funding to meet the needs of our communities and people of all ages.

You can get involved by signing the petition here (it takes less than a minute), and also by spreading the word to make sure the message is heard loud and clear before budget day on October 14th.