Mental health services in Northern Ireland remain the poor relation of the health service, according t one Co Fermanagh expert.
Speaking during Mental Health Awareness week, John Bennett, the Clinical Lead at Enniskillen based counselling service the Aisling Centre, says there are huge demands for mental health services here that are not being met.
“All services, physical health and mental health services, there are huge demands being made on money that is out there and available to us.
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“We know that the mental health side of it always comes out as a poor relation.
“While there is less stigma around mental health, it is the side of physical health that seems to get the most attention and focus when it comes to health and lack of funding.
“It’s always been the poor relation and continues to be the poor relation.”
John added that the Aisling Centre has seen a significant increase in the numbers of people using its services, particularly young people in the under 30 age group.
“We are seeing an increase definitely in the number of young people who are coming through to us, people under 30 years of age.
“The couple of the years of the pandemic has impacted on young people. People still in their school days have missed out on natural development so they have been impacted in a lot of ways.
“They have missed out on pieces of experience that most people would have taken for granted as part and parcel of their normal social development.
“It would seem that the services that are available are not matching the numbers of people that need the services here.
“We are certainly finding that the need for the services has increased, but the provision to meet that need does not seem to have increased.”
The mental health expert added that increased numbers of people presenting with mental health conditions may be due to more people feeling comfortable in speaking about them, but plenty of people still have fears about doing so.
“The stigma around mental health has left for the most part, and that is in some way related to the increased numbers we have coming to us and others.
“People feel less blocked in coming to places and saying that they feel distress going on in their lives, but there are still people that feel that way.
“A lot of people will be careful about what they say and who they say it to and there are fears about what the implications will be.”
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