Lack of psychological services a 'breach of human rights'

According to the Irish College of Psychiatry, 83 per cent of psychiatric consultants do not have access to psychotherapists, 76 per cent have no access to a family therapist and 33 per cent have no access to an occupational therapist. By Emma Browne

The lack of counselling services available to psychiatrists within the mental-health service has been well documented. As far back as 1987, a report called ‘Planning for Change' said there was an urgent need for psychological services in the treatment of mental illness. In the 2003 Report of the Inspector of Mental Hospitals, it was noted that the “matter had improved somewhat” from 1983 but “there was still considerable gaps in the filling of these posts [psychology  posts and social workers]”.

Part of the problem is that there are not enough training courses for psychologists, particularly in the area of clinical psychology.

Amnesty International has accused the Irish government of “fundamentally breaching” human rights by neglecting the mental -health service.

Seán Love, director of Amnesty Ireland, says: “There is a widespread lack of therapies including psychotherapy and counselling services, in breach of the right to the least restrictive or intrusive treatment.”

Fine Gael spokesperson on Health Dan Neville said: “I have no doubt that this leads to the over-dependence on prescribed medicine. A senior consultant psychiatrist in the public service says he has 480 patients with a staff compliment of one community nurse, one social worker, two junior doctors who are changed every six months and one third of a psychologist.”

A report from the expert group on mental health, ‘A Vision for Change', published in 2006, recommended that a National Manpower Planning Group should be established to make recommendations regarding the education, training and workforce issues around clinical psychology, counselling psychology and psychotherapy.