Councillor urges Dublin to tackle mental health stigma

At a special meeting of Dublin City Council held last week in City Hall, Councillor Kevin Breen received loud and lasting applause following the tabling of a powerful and personal motion calling for stronger leadership in tackling mental health stigma across the city.

Cllr Breen’s motion, which was passed with unanimous support, commits Dublin City Council to taking a more proactive role in promoting mental well-being and aims to position Dublin as a global exemplar in mental health awareness and anti-stigma efforts.

“The mental health crisis in Dublin is just that — a crisis,” said Cllr Breen (pictured above) during an emotional and moving speech in city hall.

“No person or community is immune. All too often people suffer in silence. I know this first-hand.”

In a deeply personal address, Cllr Breen openly shared his own experience of mental health, describing feeling “different” or ‘not normal’ due to his mental health challenges.

“When I realised that struggling with mental health doesn’t make you different — it makes you human — that inspired my road to recovery,” he told the chamber.

“The motion that I have brought forward tonight is calling for this council to encourage a great many more people to realise this and to inspire a great many more roads to recovery.”

The motion calls for the launch of a citywide mental health awareness and anti-stigma campaign, aimed at fostering a more inclusive, understanding, and supportive environment for all individuals experiencing mental health challenges.

The campaign will seek to ensure that no individual in Dublin feels isolated, marginalised, or different due to their mental health and will highlight the message that mental health is a shared human experience.

While acknowledging that local government has limitations in the provision of health services, Cllr Breen stressed the council’s ability to lead by example and create cultural change.

“Notwithstanding Mental health is a multifaceted issue and local government isn’t perfect and more broadly there are restrictions on what this council can and can’t do.

“But we can do this.

“We can lead the way on reducing stigma surrounding mental health and that will make a genuine and tangible impact on the lives of the people of our city and those we proudly represent.”

The motion was met with enthusiastic cross-party support, with councillors from across the chamber commending Cllr Breen’s openness, honesty, and courage in sharing his story.

Lord Mayor Ray McAdam was the first to offer support:  “Kevin, can I just thank you for your contribution tonight and fair play to you. We are all better for you being a member of this council.”

This was the sentiment across the chamber and Cllr Breen received an outpouring of support and praise.

In response, Dublin City Council committed to engaging with Cllr Breen to work on putting this motion into practice and spreading a clear message that it’s ok not to be ok, an important step in changing how mental health is approached in the city.