Fórsa demands investment in mental health services

Union seeks employer action to combat stigma

Fórsa has condemned the paucity of public provision of mental health services in Ireland, and has called on the Government to invest seriously in State supports for those with mental illnesses.

The union also says it wants health sector employers to “create an environment of meaningful support” for workers who suffer from mental health problems, and says it will seek discussions with health service management with a view to developing policies to remove stigma from workers who experience them.

A series of policy motions at the union’s Health and Welfare Division conference in Sligo today (Thursday) also included calls for the HSE to provide suicide prevention training for clerical and administrative staff working in mental health facilities, and for vacancies in health promotion services to be filled.

Yesterday (Wednesday) Fórsa published the results of a survey that found almost half of Ireland’s health workers have experienced mental health difficulties. Over 60% of the 1,600-plus health workers who responded to the survey said they would be uncomfortable discussing a mental health issue with their line manager, while over 80% said their employer was doing too little to promote mental health awareness.

We want to work with employers to create a workplace culture where each of us is able to challenge stigma whenever we encounter it.

Speaking in support of employer action to tackle the stigma associated with mental illness, executive member Michelle Spearman said health workers were afraid to seek help for fear that they would “forever be labelled as the person with mental health difficulties.”

“Colleagues who are experiencing difficulties know that stereotyping and stigmatism can occur in any area of employment. Many feel it’s self-defeating to seek help, or even discuss the issue, as they fear they will suffer discrimination in their careers if they do. We want to work with employers to create a workplace culture where each of us is able to challenge stigma whenever we encounter it,” she said.

Ms Spearman said stigmatism took many forms, including “the unkind word, social exclusion, isolation and a feeling of being devalued.” The Fórsa mental health survey revealed that many feared a negative impact on their career prospects if they were labelled as having had a mental illness.

Over 200 delegates at the conference pledged to campaign for serious state investment in mental health services to the public.

Over 200 delegates at the conference also pledged to campaign for “serious” state investment in mental health services to the public. Speaking in support of the motion, Jarlath O’Connor, who works in Mayo mental health services, said mental health was the “poor relation in our health system.”

He said psychiatric hospitals and institutions had a hugely damaging impact on those who experienced them. “People who are victims of institutional care have only two pathways in life: they go from psychiatric to geriatric care, or they die. We know that one-in-four people suffer a mental illness. They are the victims of their illness and we need services that support wellbeing with early intervention,” he said.