Mental Health Reform call on the government to invest more in mental health services

Mental health advocacy group Mental Health Reform have called on the government to invest at least €105 million into mental health services in Budget 2019.

They have launched their #IAmAReason campaign to ask members of the public to share their stories and highlight the need for improved mental health facilities in Ireland.

Mental health services in Ireland

Mental Health Reform have said that despite investing €210 million in mental health services between 2012 and 2018, there are still not enough resources to cope with the number of people seeking help for mental health difficulties.

The demand for mental health services in Ireland is growing, with the percentage of people dealing with a psychological or emotional difficulty rising by 30% between the 2011 and 2016 Census. The Healthy Ireland survey has shown that 20% of young people aged 19-24 years and 15% of children aged 11-13 years have experienced a mental health disorder.

The organisation have said that the mental health sector has suffered “decades of neglect” by the Government, and they need to invest more in order to deal with the demand for services.

Budget 2019

The government has committed to investing €55 million for new services in mental health in 2019, but Mental Health Reform have argued that this is not enough. They believe more money is needed to address the gaps in existing services and to create new services to meet the growing demand.

“The Government can show they are serious about tackling the crisis in mental health services by investing at least €105M in Budget 2019”, the organisation said in their call to action for their #IAmAReason campaign.

You can read Mental Health Reform’s pre-budget submission here.

How to get involved in the #IAmAReason campaign

Mental Health Reform are inviting members of the public to join their campaign to demand more investment in mental health services in the 2019 budget.

Here are some ways you can get involved:

• Download one of these two posters: (Poster 1, Poster 2), take a video or photo with them, and post it on social media using #IAmAReason
• Share your reason why we need to invest in mental health online using #IAmAReason
• Like and share Mental Health Reform's social media posts on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
• Contact your local TD or Representative and ask for their support. Find your local TD here.