Irish Examiner view: State falling behind in provision of mental health care

Report reveals a worrying gap between independent providers and the HSE

People with mental health struggles are not receiving the care that they need.

By any yardstick you care to apply, working with mentally ill people is a tough and demanding role requiring empathy, understanding of what can be complex behaviours, and physical and emotional resilience. And it is not becoming any easier, judging by by the contents of the 2021 Mental Health Commission report for Ireland.

The MHC’s latest audit of activity covers a substantial part of the period encompassing the Covid-19 pandemic, pressures induced by lockdown and a loss of personal liberties within a patient sector that can already be subject to constraints beyond the experience and imagination of many of us.