Mary Harney has forced the mental health service in Ireland to rely more on dispensing drugs than providing alternative therapy. This is due mainly to the savage cuts that her government has made, together with the clever marketing strategies of pharmaceutical companies. Twice as many women as men use antidepressants. Instead of proper investment in the mental health service, these tablets are being dispensed by the HSE as a "quick fix" solution.

Many of these prescription drugs are highly addictive and have side effects, which are known to exacerbate the mental health condition of the individual concerned. These drugs are legal and are coming onto the market because pharmaceutical companies are motivated purely by profit, and ultimately abstain from any responsibility to do with the often devastating consequences of people taking these tablets. While it needs to be stressed that medication does have an important role in mental health, it needs to be used in conjunction with other treatments, including counselling and occupational therapy.

Instead of a massive increase in investment in the state's mental health service, Mary Harney has chosen to push on with her policy of privatisation. 'Vision for Change', a report on the Irish mental health service, commissioned by the government, was published in January 2006. As yet, none of its recommendations have received the funding to make them realisable. 'Vision into Action' is meant to represent the implementation of this policy in Kerry but was dealt a devastating blow when over €1,000,000 was recently knocked off the mental health budget for the county. Since the 1980s, mental health has received, per capita, little more than half the state funding of the other health sectors. If the government imposes the recommendations of An Bord Snip, this situation will be made even worse.

People with mental health conditions are often the most vulnerable and the least able to campaign for their rights. Amnesty International has argued that the human rights of those in Ireland with mental health conditions can only be fully protected if legislation is passed and properly funded. Of particular concern is the continued use of ECT by the mental health service as well as issues around involuntary detention.

It is appalling that the suicide rate in Ireland is higher than that of road deaths yet receives so little attention by the media. Tralee Mental Health Association believes that, unfortunately, there is still stigma attached to mental health and it is still difficult to raise the issue publicly. This is why it is important for everyone to insist that the government substantially increase funding in mental health.

Kieran McNulty, Brenda Healy,

Catherine Courtney,

Tralee Mental Health Association.