A plea to the politicians

A NORTHSIDE mother who has struggled to find help for her son is urging locals to make mental health reform an issue on the doorsteps coming up to the general election. 

Two years ago Anne Ellis found herself in a situation no parent should ever have to go through. Her son Shane, who has mental health problems, was in urgent need of intervention. The Finglas mum brought him to A&E, but after a lengthy wait he was turned away, despite being obviously in need of help. 

“At the time Shane was only out of hospital a few weeks after a three month stay during which he had been diagnosed,” Anne says. “I asked them to ring any other hospital to see could they help as I’d have brought him anywhere because I knew he was at high risk. 

“I rang everywhere and everybody I could think of with no luck. Eventually, out of desperation I rang TV3.”

The next morning Anne highlighted her situation on live TV and was supported by Dr Shari McDaid of Mental Health Reform who said Anne’s case wasn’t an isolated one. 

Later that day Anne held a protest outside the Dáil and while Shane thankfully got a hospital bed a couple of days later, she’s been tirelessly campaigning for better mental health services ever since. 

“People are still being turned away,” she claimed. 

“I’ve been going through this for the last four years. Recently, Shane ended up in A&E again, clearly suffering from mental health issues, but he was left waiting 11 hours for treatment.

“When somebody is unwell like that, time is important. They need to be assessed quickly so it can be determined what they need.”

Anne blames her son’s struggle to get treatment on a series of cutbacks to mental health services  

“There were cuts of €15 million in 2014. That’s why Shane was turned away. The most vulnerable people in society are being let down, it just happens to be that my son is one of them.

“Services like Tus Nua in Ballymun have been closed down. They’re pushing people that are already isolated and feeling lost back in behind closed doors. It just enrages me.”

“The mental health service is only serving people from 9-5, Monday to Friday. It’s just not working.”

Anne is campaigning for community based, crisis intervention services that could carry out assessments quickly so treatment can be administered before tragedy strikes.

She is calling on Northsiders to ask canvassing politicians where they stand on providing mental health services.

“Ask where have they budgeted in their manifesto for mental health and for communities to be resourced with proper primary health care centres,” she says.

Anne is backing Mental Health Reform’s #Ourstateofmind campaign that’s asking all candidates and parties to commit to specific actions on mental health.

“Although there has been progress in recent years, people are still having long waits in A&E, and many particularly vulnerable people such as those with an addiction or disability are not getting the care they need,” said Dr McDaid.

“It’s time to challenge candidates to say what they will do to improve Ireland’s mental health.”

Anne is continuing with her own work highlighting problems with mental health services. Last week she attended a candlelit vigil outside the Dáil to support the family of Caoilte O Broin who took his own life last month despite his family’s desperate attempts to get help for him.

Last year, she helped organise a Walk of Hope in Tolka Valley Park and is involved in planning a Darkness Into Light walk at 4.30am on May 27. 

Thankfully, her son is now on the road to recovery, recieving excellent care in Connolly Hospital, and Anne is optimistic for the future. All she wants now is for that message of hope to be spread to all those affected by mental health issues.

To find out more about the #Ourstateofmind campaign, see www.mentalhealthreform.ie, email [email protected] or call 01-8749468.