On World Mental Health Day, Presidential Candidate Catherine Connolly TD has called for real and urgent action on an issue that touches so many families in Ireland.
“I have met too many people who are waiting months, sometimes years, for mental health counselling or crisis support. Parents trying to find help for a child struggling with their mental health m. Older people isolated and left behind. Young people feeling lost and unseen. Behind every one of these stories is heartbreak and frustration - and a system that is still not treating mental health with the urgency or priority it deserves.
“This week’s Budget included some welcome steps - funding for 300 new staff, investment in crisis supports and suicide prevention, and new resources for youth services such as Jigsaw. These are important. But they are not enough. The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland has already warned that unless these measures are delivered quickly and consistently across the country, the impact will be minimal.
“For too long, mental health has been treated as an afterthought - something to address once other priorities are met. That must change. Mental health is not separate from wider healthcare - it is part of every person’s well-being, of every community’s strength. It is every bit as vital as physical health, and should be treated as such.
“As President, I will use the moral authority of the office to keep mental health at the centre of our national conversation - to ensure it is never pushed to the margins again.
“I will:
● Champion parity of esteem between mental and physical health.
● Use the Áras to convene voices from across mental health services, from service users to professionals, to ensure those with lived experience are heard.
● Support the development of community-based services so that people can access care locally, without long waits or unnecessary hospital admissions.
● Advocate for early intervention supports in schools, universities, and workplaces.
● Highlight the role of art, culture, and community in supporting emotional well-being.
● Call for a national campaign to end stigma and encourage people to seek help.
“World Mental Health Day reminds us that how we treat people in their moments of struggle says everything about who we are as a society.
“No one should have to fight alone for care, or be made to feel invisible in their pain.
It is time to make mental health not just a talking point - but a real national priority”.
ENDS
Contact: press@connollyforpresident.ie