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Most of us see Irish society as hostile to mental health problems

65% say mental health treatment is seen as a sign of failure.

SOME 65% OF us believe that being treated for a mental health problem is seen as a sign of failure in Irish society.

That’s the discouraging finding of a survey published by St Patrick’s Mental Health Services today, to mark World Suicide Prevention Day.

Worryingly, more than half of those surveyed (53%) said they have worked with someone with a mental health difficulty, and yet one in five said they wouldn’t trust someone who had previously had a mental health problem.

Paul Gilligan, CEO of St Patricks, said the results of the survey were “very disappointing”, and indicated that despite recent progress in Ireland, stigma around mental health and depression still persists.

People that proactively seek and receive help are taking a courageous step on the road to recovery.
Irish society should encourage and support this.
While there are many mental health public awareness campaigns being run throughout Ireland, there is a need to tackle these misunderstandings and stigmatising attitudes, and this is best achieved through a concerted schools-based education campaign.

Some of the other findings of survey, conducted online by 506 adults aged 18-70:

  • More women than men (28 vs 20%) report having been treated for a mental health issue
  • More from the lowest income group in Ireland (household income under €20,000) report seeking mental health treatment (37%), as opposed to 22% from all other income groups.
  • 58% say Irish people would not treat someone with a mental health problem the same as anyone else
  • 54% say Irish people would willingly accept as a close friend someone with a mental health problem, and yet -
  • 63% say they themselves have a close friend who has been treated for a mental health difficulty.
  • 44% said a family member had previously been treated for a mental health difficulty
  • 15% said they would not or might not want to live next door to someone with previous mental health problems
  • 19% said they would or might be opposed to people with a previous mental health issue being allowed to take public office
  • 32% said they would not or might not marry someone with previous mental health problems, even if they seemed to have fully recovered
  • Exactly half said they would not or might not trust someone with previous mental health problems to be a babysitter

Read: Save grieving families from ‘trial-like’ suicide inquests: Console>

Three-quarters of suicides take place in low-income regions>

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32 Comments
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    Mute Thomas Sheridan
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    May 22nd 2023, 7:33 AM

    Apart from illegal immigrants, who have been promised their own front door key and some landlords, the majority of people in the country have been ignored, used, and let down by our landlord politicians.
    Hardly surprising that there is growing opposition to open door immigration and welfare for
    all-comers when the government make no effort to look after our own.

    365
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    Mute boredofitall
    Favourite boredofitall
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    May 22nd 2023, 8:39 AM

    It is really impossible now, after Roderick O’Gorman’s decision to translate his plans into multiple languages including the Georgian language, offering to provide asylum seekers with their “own-door” accommodation and “wrap-around supports, healthcare and education” on social media without having the infrastructure or finance to support it.

    217
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    Mute Lee Casey
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    May 22nd 2023, 7:27 AM

    The reality is we are worse off than the last general election.

    233
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    Mute Chris Whelan
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    May 22nd 2023, 7:29 AM

    You reap what u sow after the crash construction workers and tradesmen were treated with contemt by the government lot emergrated some gave it up young lads now have no interest in construction as for bringing in foreign workers forget it no were for them or there families to live big mess

    185
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    Mute P.J. Nolan
    Favourite P.J. Nolan
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    May 22nd 2023, 7:45 AM

    And won’t change by the following election either, regardless of who wins it!!
    As someone else here mentioned, not enough builders and no indication of that changing. The last time we went on a building frenzy we imported the labour, they aren’t available anymore as every other developed country has a building shortage too.

    Any politician who says they are going to solve the housing crisis is telling lies,
    Regardless of what party or political persuasion.

    140
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    Mute camio55
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    May 22nd 2023, 7:54 AM

    @P.J. Nolan: Agree fully.

    50
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    Mute Mr Low Key
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    May 22nd 2023, 7:45 AM

    It’s going to get worse.

    117
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    Mute Rafa C
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    May 22nd 2023, 7:09 AM

    The situation will never improve with the rotating clown show that is going on. We’re the fools for putting them on the ballots at all.

    239
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    Mute trebloc01
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    May 22nd 2023, 8:23 AM

    Speculators including politicians buying up council land and then sitting on the property until it’s value increases by millions

    105
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    Mute cars
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    May 22nd 2023, 9:11 AM

    “What we need is a vast scaling up of ambition”. Don’t make me laugh! There needs to be ambition there in the first place, something that is nonexistent in this current government.

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    Mute trebloc01
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    May 22nd 2023, 8:21 AM

    A 100 years of lazy governments cannot be undone in 4 years

    124
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    Mute TG McMahon
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    May 22nd 2023, 8:44 AM

    The ‘government’ (doesn’t matter who) has no interest in solving this.

    54
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    Mute anthony hilton
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    May 22nd 2023, 9:14 AM

    @TG McMahon: we will never know when them bunch are repeatedly left in charge again and again and again

    66
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    Mute SolidSid
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    May 22nd 2023, 11:45 AM

    The uncomfortable truth that has to be accepted by everyone – but the general public particularly – is that our infatuation with home ownership is directly driving the housing shortage as much as any other factor. The development companies say it outright, there isn’t enough profit in it for them to build.

    The fact we have people tripping over themselves to buy houses at 3, 4, 500k is being preyed on.. all stakeholders want their 20, 40k out of each house. It’s a rat race. Like healthcare is going, if you don’t jump to private you’ll be left behind.

    We need to jump off this Hollywood train where a coffee is 12 euro and a haircut 60 because everyone is ‘entitled’ to be a business person and buying your own house is a status badge as much as anything else. ‘We’ have created and are maintaining the rod for our own backs, and the gameplayers are using it to full capacity with the backing of FFG. There is no possible happy ending on this track, we need to stop thinking just me, me, me and look at what we have collectively created. We are not Kardashian.

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    Mute Vegetable Patch
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    May 24th 2023, 2:37 PM

    Housing and property is exactly why we have an open door policy on illegal immigration.

    It is so companies like Cuckoo, Blackrock and other huge investment companies can maintain their asset prices ahead of any potential global financial crash. These companies are already taking a financial hit on all their commercial properties and the fear is that if there is another crash, all those family homes they have been buying out to bulk up their portfolios will also take a hit. It is no surprise that the government is now talking about converting office blocks into residential areas – this ensures that these companies boost the value of their commercial properties. I wonder how much of taxpayer’s money will be handed over in these refurbishments, most of which cost more to convert than if they were simply to build a new block of apartments? How much more of our public funds will be transferred to these private “shadow banks” as they are often referred to and more to the point, who will these apartments be for.

    If there is another crash, these companies can no longer rely on quantitive easing, i.e. the central banks flooding the market with extra cash to keep their asset prices up, so how do you keep commercial and residential prices up in a failing economy? Oh, I know convert commercial to residential and simultaneously flood the country with a mass of people from all over the globe thus flooding the market with extra demand for housing. High demand plus low supply equals higher prices, che-ching!

    On top of that, these companies won’t just secure high prices for their assets, but undoubtedly, in the interests of housing migrants, apartments and houses will be handed over to “asylum seekers” in the interest of “offering refuge”, whilst public money is used to subsidise or pay entirely for their rental costs, handing over further public funds to the same private interests in a double whammy of theft from the people – che-ching-che-ching!

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    Mute Jim O Sullivan
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    May 24th 2023, 3:29 PM

    But the government will look a whole lot different after it

    3
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