Mad in Ireland highlights vision for more holistic treatment approach 

Mad in Ireland member Liam Mac Gabhann said the collective is trying to give voice to a new paradigm which seeks an alternative view of mental health issues.

A collective of people with experiences of mental health issues themselves or in their families has come together to highlight its vision for how mental health treatment in Ireland can be more holistic.

The Mad in Ireland group launched itself last month and is part of a global movement seeking change in mental health treatment and policy. It is an affiliate of Mad in America.

One of the collective, Liam Mac Gabhann, is a mental health practitioner for over 25 years, with 15 years in traditional therapeutic roles as mental health nurse and counsellor.

He has also trained in alternative healing approaches, such as reiki, shamanism, tai chi, mindfulness, systemic family constellations, and body work.

He said the group does not intend to be a lobby body, adding: “We are setting ourselves up as a portal for people, to give voice to outside of traditional mental health responses. It will almost be like a platform.

We are trying to give voice to the new paradigm which is moving away from the biomedical model of how we understand mental health problems, mental distress.” 

He said that the new paradigm seeks an alternative view of mental health issues such as hearing voices.

“Hearing voices does not necessarily mean you have some kind of diagnosis for life. It may be a response to types of trauma, it may be a way of dealing with stresses in life, it might be something you are okay with once you have made sense of it.

“It is part of a journey perhaps. There is equally if not more valuable ways of dealing with the distress.” 

The group is currently seeking submissions from those who have had experiences in their own lives or in their families of mental health issues in Ireland.

• Further information is available at www.madinireland.com.