Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 7 Feb 1991

Vol. 404 No. 8

Written Answers. - Report on Distress Levels.

Seán Barrett

Ceist:

19 Mr. S. Barrett asked the Minister for Health whether he has studied the recent report on distress which revealed (1) that one in every two people who are deprived of basic necessities suffer distress levels which would be clinically described as psychiatric and (2) that people above the psychiatric distress threshold have double the reliance on pharmaceutical drugs; and in view of these findings whether the Government are examining the way a more appropriate policy, to deal with the clear links between psychiatric health and poverty/ unemployment, can be evolved.

Minister for Health (Dr. O'Hanlon)

I presume that the Deputy is referring to the report of the Economic and Social Research Institute entitled, Unemployment, Poverty and Psychological Distress which was published last month. I was pleased to be able to provide financial assistance towards the cost of this study and I am having the detailed findings of the report examined in my Department in so far as they relate to the health services. I might add that the linkage between unemployment, poverty and psychological distress is well recognised. The Programme for Economic and Social Progress provides for a range of measures in the fields of training, employment, social welfare and health which are specifically designed to come to grips with these problems. As regards the health services, it is the Government's intention under the programme to continue to give a high priority to measures aimed at promoting positive health. In addition there will be a further development of community psychiatric services which are locally based and easily accessible so that problems of psychological distress can be treated as early as possible.