Ulster Unionist Mental Health Spokesperson, Robbie Butler MLA, has called on the Executive to appoint a Mental Health Champion to protect and promote the interests of people experiencing poor mental health and wellbeing.
Robbie Butler said:
“More than one in four of the population here are affected by poor mental health and wellbeing. Everyone in society can be affected, whether young or old, wealthy or poor, physically healthy or not: it is an invisible epidemic affecting families right across Northern Ireland.
“With 28.5% of Northern Ireland’s population currently diagnosed with a mental health difficulty we are faced with levels that are comparable to the worst affected areas of the world. With no pride we hold the title of having worse levels of mental health than the rest of the UK by some 25%.
“The sheer scale of the problem has been reinforced to me in the time since I took up the role as my Party’s spokesperson for Mental Health. I have had direct contact with a countless number of people with poor mental health. Just last week I attended the funeral of a friend who decided that suicide was his last option. Speaking to the pastor officiating I was further saddened by the fact that he is carrying out funerals on a weekly basis due to the scourge that is suicide.
“Our shockingly high rates of suicide and poor mental health have undoubtedly been directly impacted by 30 years of violence and tragically the issue is now inter-generational.
“Appointing an individual to specifically uphold the interests of people with poor mental health would send out a very clear signal to the thousands who suffer, often in silence, that the Assembly and Executive, is at last serious about tackling the issue.
“A Mental Health Champion is something that this Assembly and Executive could practically deliver, it is something that would have measurable targets and importantly it would be more than just simply words of comfort – it would be something that could deliver tangible benefits for people suffering from poor mental health.”