There is a crisis in how mental healthcare services are delivered across the State. The lack of proper services means people experiencing a mental health crisis must present at hospital emergency departments. A person so presenting may, at the time of presentation, be in a state of psychosis and, having had to wait a number of hours for treatment, may come out of the psychosis. Some of them have then been sent home. This is highlighted in a recent report by the Mental Health Commission, which also showed there are often substantial delays for people undergoing a mental health crisis in terms of mental health assessments, especially in the evenings and at weekends. Existing emergency mental health services are being placed under great pressure and strain as they currently face a surge in demand. This is particularly prevalent among young people, who have also been heavily impacted by the housing crisis. Demand for mental health services among this demographic has increased by more than 50% in recent years. An EU report in 2025 showed significant concerns with regard to mental health levels in Ireland, with the State receiving the lowest average score on a mind health index among the nine European countries surveyed. For a number of years, Ireland has been ranked as among the worst countries in the world for mental health. Services in this area have been haemorrhaging highly qualified staff , who are not being replaced. We have been talking about these matters for years. It is unacceptable that there has been such a poor response from the Government in tackling this mental health crisis. Sending those experiencing a psychotic episode to Garda stations or ill-equipped hospital emergency departments is not the solution. At the very least, every hospital should have dedicated spaces with specialist mental health teams available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ireland will continue to rank as one of the worst countries in Europe for mental health if we do not implement these changes.

Sentiment score: -0.30