Fast pace of life a strain on mental health, warns doctor

The faster pace of life in modern Ireland could be straining people’s mental health, it was warned today.

Heavier workloads, daily commuting and spiralling house prices are the downside of Celtic Tiger prosperity and could be hitting the health of individuals and families, according to Dr Harold Barry.

A board member of the mental health charity Aware, he urges people to watch for the signals of illness in his new book Flagging The Problem: A New Approach to Mental Health.

“As Irish society undergoes rapid change and the pace of modern life seems ever faster, it is unsurprising that the issue of mental health has become more prominent and thankfully somewhat more openly discussed,” he said.

“Both physical and mental health are at risk by increasing workloads, commuting times, housing costs, marital breakdown and alcohol misuse/abuse - facilitated in many cases by our increased prosperity.

“Although the provision of treatment is gradually improving and becoming more widely available, there is still a huge need for better recognition of the warning signs of mental health problems and for advice on how best to deal with them.”

Clinical psychologist Marie Murray, who will help launch the book at the Royal College of Physicians today, said one in five people experience a mental health problem, with the issue affecting every family in Ireland.

“While there is undoubtedly much greater openness about the subject, much stigma still exists which perpetuates myths such as it is the individual who is at fault,” she said.

“Mental health problems have a biological basis and most people can be greatly helped by seeking professional help.”

Dr Barry is a GP based in Co Louth whose interest in mental health issues was spurred by his professional experience of suicide.

His book published by Liberties Press looks at charting the warning signs of mental health.

He said a stigma still surrounded mental illness, when it should be regarded in the same way as any other physical ailment.

Expressing concern people often delay seeking help, he said: “Depression remains under-diagnosed and under-treated.

“This is a cause for concern, as depression is increasingly thought to be associated with serious medical consequences like heart attacks, strokes, osteoporosis and diabetes and is thought to be a factor in as many as 70% of suicides.”