System ‘fails to understand mental health problems’

The major failure of the mental health system is that it does not sufficiently understand the emotional and psychological aspects of mental health problems, or the importance of exploring in detail the individual’s experiences.

That is according to the author of a new book, Selfhood, which will be launched in Cork today by Minister of State with Responsibility for Mental Health Kathleen Lynch.

The book is written by Dr Terry Lynch, a psychotherapist and GP living and working in Limerick, who also wrote the bestseller Beyond Prozac in 2001.