Emma Sheridan, Helen McEntee, Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People, and First Fortnight co-founder David Keegan (Above)
First Fortnight has just unveiled its festival programme for 2017.
It’s going 8 years, in fairness.
Paul Kimmage, Eleanor Tiernan, and Ivor Browne will all make contributions while Le Galaxie yokes, Otherkin and Girl Band will help supply the tunes.
Harrumph!
Joe Caslin’s mural entitled ‘Lust For Life’ in Waterford
Joe Caslin tweetz:
…After 7yrs of trying, this image is finally on this wall. Heartfelt thank you to everyone involved…
Fair play, in fairness.
Previously: Joe Caslin on Broadsheet
Thanks John Gallen
Fiona Kennedy lives in Connemara, Co. Galway.
She has clinical depression and borderline personality disorder.
Fiona writes:
I had an article published here a few weeks back, in which I expressed my frustration at what I perceive to be the very sanitised view the general media presents to us about mental health.
Following on from this, I wrote a similar article for the Irish Times, stating:
“My concern is that the current media representation of these (mental health) issues is in danger of doing the subject more harm than good by having a really restricted focus in terms of how mental health problems manifest, who they affect, and how they are managed.”
Immediately after the articles I was contacted to do both TV and radio interviews which, after much consideration, I had to decline.
I knew that while I would get great energy from doing them, and it would possibly help take the national conversation about mental health a little further, it would also knock the stuffing out of me and the fallout for me personally wouldn’t be worth the whatever slim gain may have been made.
I realise there’s a massive irony in this – I gave out that media representations of mental health issues are very one sided, yet when given the opportunity to do something about it, I had to say no or my mental health would suffer.
On a whim, I recorded the video above.
I cannot currently give live interviews, and there’s little I can do to affect change around mental health policy in Ireland.
But, I’ve been writing about trying to manage borderline personality disorder (bpd) and depression for years, so what I can do is attempt to show you the reality behind the words.
None of these vlogs are scripted, rehearsed or edited in any way. They’re mostly recorded in my car because it feels like a really safe place to do them, if a little dull visually, and are short – generally between one and three minutes.
I tend to think a lot when I’m driving, and it helps to record my thoughts this way on a day that I may not get time to write.
What you see is how I am – I don’t usually wear make-up, and I often look extremely tired and/or spotty.
This is my reality.
I’ve never sugarcoated my writing so I’m not going to sugarcoat these.
Fiona is an Ambassador for See Change, a national movement that tries to improve attitudes towards people with mental health issues, and she blogs here
Previously: Fiona Kennedy on Broadsheet
David Burns writes:
Following student protests on Govt diversion of €12,000,000 from 2016 mental health budget, 200 UCD Medicine students have made the following video to lobby for increased funding Ireland’s mental health services.
UCD students have raised over €100,000 for registered charity Youth Suicide Prevention Ireland so far this year. It took them 6 months to raise the money and there is a lot of anger on campus over how few TDs it takes to debate funding cuts of €12,000,000.
Ireland has one of the highest rates of youth suicide in Europe but depends largely on charities for a response rather than government policy. It is a disgraceful situation that the good work of UCD students to support one of these charities, Youth Suicide Prevention Ireland, is being completely undermined by huge Govt funding cuts.
Niall Breslin, aka Bressie, before the Joint Committee on Health and Children in January
Fiona Kennedy, who has clinical depression and borderline personality disorder, yesterday wrote the following on the Facebook page of her Sunny Spells & Scattered Showers blog:
I AM SICK OF HEARING ABOUT BRESSIE AND JIM BREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They aren’t actually the only people in the entire country who understand mental health issues. Also, as an aside, depression isn’t the only mental health issue that affects people, and it’s not just young people who experience difficulties either. Despite what the media may think.
There. I said it.
(I’ve had a very long day, I’m very tired and my patience threshold is below zero)
Later, Fiona wrote:
That was an hour ago. I’m even more tired now, but having driven in and out of town to collect Hubby, I’m also wired, and I’ve had time to think.
On reflection, there is a whole lot more going on than simply being pissed off at two people who are doing one of the most crucial thing that needs doing to get the ball rolling on changing our mental health services – talking. Raising awareness. Letting people know that asking for help is ok.
But that’s where I hit a pitfall, and I think that’s at least part of where my frustration is coming from. It’s not what Bressie and Jim Breen are doing that’s the issue, it’s the media portrayal of it.
Both of them are talking about what they know, and they are both authentic, articulate, inspiring speakers. But what they know is a small piece of the puzzle.
The media (and this is all very much just my own opinion) can’t or won’t see beyond that. Mental illness isn’t just depression and suicide, in as much as physical illness isn’t just cancer. There are such a broad range of issues, and within that range, hugely varying degrees of severity and need. Every single person is different.
We could also be forgiven for thinking that difficulties only arise with the under 25s. Again, I’m not discounting the value of the work that’s being done here, god knows if I’d had more awareness when I was younger then things might have turned out very differently for me.
We absolutely need to get to kids when they’re in school, we absolutely need to work on breaking down the stigma around mental illness. I would love to think that this whole palaver with our mental health services is something my kids will never have to contend with.
But what about those who are over 25? Or even over 18? I posted a piece last week by a 17-year-old reader who faces a very uncertain future once she turns 18 and transitions from child and adolescent to adult services.
What about those of us who are that bit older, who aren’t hearing the message in school or college? Or those who don’t have ready access to social media? What about workplace mental health? Or those who aren’t working? And what about our older generations? Who is the voice for them?
I think that’s what my issue is. Both these men are giving voice to a particular section of the population, and they are doing it quite remarkably well. But, (and again, just me!!) there are two key issues with this:
One of my readers posted this comment in response to my little rant, I think he sums it up nicely:
‘Thanks for saying this, Fiona. We are doing a mental health awareness programme at work and it is just about depression. Yes depression is a terrible thing but so are BPD, Bi-Polar, Schizophrenia, Anxiety, Eating Disorders, and every other mental illness. Surely we wouldn’t talk in terms of physical illness as being cancer? So why treat mental illness differently?’
‘As for celebs being the spokesperson for mental health, fine. But I would rather have as my spokesperson the woman who sat in the psychiatrist’s waiting room the other day; who had to bring her young child to the appointment because she couldn’t afford childcare; who told me how she had no idea how she was going to pay the electricity bill, let alone find money to do the grocery shopping; who was trying her hardest but who looked as if life had finally beaten her. This is the real face of mental illness’
Maybe it’s even more than that. Is it how we talk about it? The fact that we talk about ‘mental illness’. We would never say ‘I have a physical illness’. We’d say ‘I have the flu’. We’re making huge inroads in talking about it, but we’re still dancing around the edges.
I don’t know, I don’t know where I’m going at this stage. I’m tired, and I’m hugely frustrated by everything that’s happened with our mental health services on a national level, particularly in the last week, and on a personal level, for the last……….well, long time.
I just want to see open, honest, real conversation about this. About depression. About bipolar. About borderline. About schizophrenia. About all the other countless illnesses that affect us.
About people.
Mental health and the media (Sunny spells and scattered showers)
Cuts cost lives #IAmAReason powerful solidarity here today thanks to @MHReform and @TheUSI for organising pic.twitter.com/baoIFehW3e
— A Lust For Life (@lustforlife) April 28, 2016
This lunchtime.
Mental health campaigners join members of the Students Union of Ireland and Mental Health Reform outside the Dáil.
The demonstration follows recent reports that €12million of the €35million mental health budget will be transferred to other areas in the Department of Health.
Via Gavan Reilly and Lust for Life
UPDATE:
The speech delivered by Shane Gillen during the demonstration.
Thanks Shane
This afternoon.
In the Dáil as statements are given on mental health services – following news last week that €12million of the €36million mental health budget is being transferred to other areas in the Department of Health.
John Mc tweetz:
Really looks like they give a fupp doesn’t it…
Previously: Fear Of The Unknown
Watch live here
Marie Duffy is extremely frustrated with how the Irish mental health service works and would like to see it completely overhauled.
She writes…
About 18 months ago I got sick. Very sick. I ended up in hospital, and was to stay there for almost nine months. I was embarrassed and ashamed and felt that I couldn’t tell anyone where I was.
I told some people I was on holidays, others that I was away for work. But the truth was that I was on a psychiatric ward fighting for my life. I say fighting because that’s what I felt I was doing.
It all happened rather quickly. One minute I was bridesmaid at my sister’s wedding and the next thing I was inpatient on an acute psychiatric ward. It all happened so fast and in a number of weeks I unravelled in spectacular style.
At first I was afraid. I was so afraid of the thoughts that were going on in my head that I didn’t tell anyone. I kept it to myself. I’m very lucky and have great friends and family but couldn’t find the words to tell them how I was feeling so as far as they were concerned I was fine. But I wasn’t.
I was far from fine and was in such a bad place that I just couldn’t find the words to explain how I was feeling. I believed that I would be better off dead and that my friends and family would be better off without me.
I was ashamed that I was in hospital and that I wasn’t coping.
Over the course of the nine months my doctor tried me on loads of different types of medications. Nothing seemed to take away the deep feeling of despair I was feeling every moment I was awake and that haunted my dreams at night.
Despite being quite articulate normally, I just couldn’t find the words to describe to anyone what I was feeling. I was hopeless. I felt like I was never going to get better and most of all I felt abandoned in hospital while my friends and family and everyone else went about their lives.
Nine months is a long time in anyone’s life. But nine months on a psychiatric ward is unbearable and feels like a lifetime.
There is little to do during the day with just one hour devoted to occupational therapy or activities such as meditation, art, or yoga. The rest of the time was spent sitting on your bed or sitting on the chair beside your bed.
The only regular thing on the ward was the giving out of the medication at breakfast, lunch and night time. We’d all queue up in a line eager to get our next fix of drugs.
During my stay in hospital I was put on a waiting list to see a psychologist. During my nine months there I did not speak to a counsellor, psychologist or anyone about how I was feeling.
Because my depression wasn’t responding to medication my psychiatrist talked about the possibility of trying Electric Shock Treatment (ECT).
Thankfully I didn’t try ECT, but I very nearly did as I was eager to try anything that would help me get my life back again.
At the moment I am attending a psychologist but have only five more sessions left. I understand that appointments are limited due to long waiting lists, but at the same time I know that I will need support after the five sessions.
My experience of the mental health services over the past 18 months is that it is trying to .
As a service user I am extremely frustrated as to how the Irish mental health service works. I think it needs to be totally revolutionised. We need to start by helping people recover from mental illness, instead of patching them up and sending them out until the next time.
There is such stigma associated with mental illness and even though things are much better than they used to be I feel that we still have a long way to go.
I feel that we need to talk openly about mental health and start to look at people with mental difficulties as ‘us’ instead of the ‘other’.
We need to have a more recovery focused mental health service. I am trying everything in my power to ensure that I don’t end up in a situation that I’m extremely unwell and taking my own life seems like an option again. But I will say that it’s difficult especially when the supports aren’t always there.
To start with we need to provide adequate funding for mental health services that both focuses on early intervention and recovery.
I also feel that we need an authority that tackles suicide prevention like the Road Safety Authority does for road safety.
One suicide is one too many and although there is good work being done in the area of suicide prevention its not enough. We can do more!
I believe that we can reduce the high number of suicides in Ireland. It’s time we all came together and used our collective voices to let people know that suicide doesn’t have to be an option.
We need to let people know that it’s ok not to be ok and it’s perfectly ok to have to ask for help.
Samaritans: 116 123
Pieta House: 01 6010 000
Console: 1800 201 890
Aware: 1890 303 302
You can read Marie Duffy’s blog here
Previously: Reach Out
Various Artists – Le Chéile (compilation in aid of mental health awareness)
What you may need to know…
01. Yeah Meng Records is the one-man operation of Drogheda man Ryan Carroll. Indie label, local shows, etc. based out of the Wee County’s capital.
02. Le Chéile (“together” as Gaeilge), is a compilation released this past month through the label, comprised of a book of mental health-related quotes & quips (as well as contact info on mental health services in Ireland), and a CD full of Irish and international punk, emo and folk acts (streaming above).
03. Among the many acts on the compilation include Dublin punks Chewing on Tinfoil, post-rock youngsters Megacone, Tipperary emo five-piece The Winter Passing and Limerick singer-songwriter Anna’s Anchor.
04. All proceeds go toward various mental health charities, and Bandcamp orders (€10 + €3 postage in Ireland) come with advance digital download of both audio and text.
Verdict: It’s our generation’s cause: striking up a conversation and national discourse regards mental health. Anybody looking to help facilitate that, and provide a point of focus for anyone that might be struggling in the form of the accompanying book, deserves the support.
Le Chéile (thru Yeah Meng Records)
From the The Irish Rugby Union Players’ Association (IRUPA) in partnership with Zurich
Tackle Your Feelings.
A new mental wellbeing campaign that sees “national and international rugby stars come forward to tell their own personal story of the issues they have faced off the pitch”.
Emma Walsh, of IRUPA writes:
Munster Scrum-Half, Cathal Sheridan is one of the first players to come forward and tell his own personal story [more at link below].
