Vol. 561 No. 1
178 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on the statement of Amnesty International that additional and alternative therapies should be more available and accessible for modern mental health care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3447/03]
362 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on the statement of Amnesty International that additional and alternative therapies should be more available and accessible for modern mental health care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3479/03]
404 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the concerns of Amnesty International that there is an over-reliance on medication, as the full range of additional and alternative therapies essential to modern mental health care are not available here; and his views on whether people with mental illness have the right to the least intrusive or restrictive treatment. [3595/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 178, 362 and 404 together.
The predominance of drug treatment in the mental health services was first highlighted by the Inspector of Mental Hospitals in his Annual Report for 2000, when he commented that it was often the only form of treatment available. There is an increasing desire among professionals and patients alike that supportive and complementary treatments such as psychotherapy should be more widely available. Supportive and general psychotherapeutic skills are now taught in post-graduate psychiatric medical training. Many psychiatric nurses are also trained in various forms of counselling and use these skills in their work with patients.
While traditionally the provision of care was dominated by the doctor-nurse model, it has been recognised for some time that other skills such as those of psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists etc. are a necessary component of service delivery and that, without them, adequate treatment and management in the broader sense is difficult. Service providers aim to provide mental health services through consultant-led multi-disciplinary teams. However, significant recruitment difficulties exist in relation to the paramedical professions at present. Measures are being taken to recruit such staff from outside the mental health services and to increase the number of training places available.
