A woman whose two sons were treated at the Central Mental Hospital today said it was shameful for the Government to plough ahead with relocation plans despite the advice of experts.

Unions representing psychiatric nurses will hold discussions today with health chiefs in an attempt to end industrial action.

Unions representing psychiatric nurses are expected to announce an escalation of action in their bitter row with health chiefs today.

Minister for Finance Brian Cowen must provide a minimum of €10m to fund suicide prevention initiatives in the next Budget, a Government Watchdog has claimed.

OVER-RELIANCE on medication by the health service to treat people with a mental illness is hampering their chances of recovery, John Saunders of Schizo-phrenia Ireland has claimed.

THE Government has been accused of failing to deliver on mental health commitments by a coalition of campaign groups.

Helping those suffering from mental illness must be made a priority by the next Government, campaigners will insist today.

MENTAL health campaigners have pleaded for psychiatric patients to be spared the impact of today’s planned work stoppage by nurses.

ALL existing public psychiatric hospitals should be closed by 2010, latest census figures from the Health Research Board (HRB) show.

It is 22 years since the almost Dickensian conditions of mentally-ill patients were identified as being in radical need of an overhaul.

A RADICAL overhaul of mental health services that will see the closure of the country’s remaining mental hospitals and the money from their sale spent on developing community-based mental health care will begin this year.

Up to 60% of Irish schizophrenia sufferers could attempt suicide at some stage in their lives, according to the support group Schizophrenia Ireland.

SUICIDE is the leading cause of premature death for people with schizophrenia.

THE Government spends six times less on suicide prevention than it does on road safety campaigns even though more people die as a result of suicide each year, it emerged yesterday.

A SPLIT has emerged between the Departments of Health and Justice over the future location of the Central Mental Hospital (CMH).

MEDICAL staff at the Central Mental Hospital (CMH) are strongly opposed to proposals within Government to relocate the hospital to a prison complex site.

MENTAL health groups yesterday expressed concern at reports that the Central Mental Hospital is to be relocated to the same site as the replacement complex for Mountjoy Prison.

Schizophrenia Ireland has launched a video designed to help sufferers and their families come to the terms with the disorder.

IRELAND’S treatment of the mentally ill is shocking and Orwellian, a leading international expert in mental health legislation will tell a conference in Dublin today.

A document which sets the standard for mental health care in this country is being launched in Dublin this morning.

MORE than 40 independent organisations, including Amnesty International, have criticised the lack of consultation on a planned review of Ireland’s mental healthcare system.

Schizophrenia Ireland has demanded a full written apology from Fianna Fail TD Jim McDaid over his comments on suicide.

Schizophrenia Ireland is lobbying to have questions relating to mental illness removed from job application forms.

The Government is being criticised for the state of the country's mental health services.