'Every day more and more mental health services are struggling to keep their doors open' warns Derry Professor

Dr Siobhan O’Neill, the north’s Mental Health Champion, was speaking at the launch of a major new ‘I Am Someone’ campaign by Action Mental Health in Stormont’s Long Gallery on Wednesday.

Praising the work of services in the sector ahead of World Mental Health Day on Thursday, Professor O’Neill told those gathered that poor mental health had far reaching impacts on society, the economy and communities:

“As Mental Health Champion, I’ve seen the amazing work undertaken by community and voluntary sector services across Northern Ireland, to support those struggling with their mental health. It’s wonderful to read the stories of the people who have benefited from the support offered by Action Mental Health and it’s important that we celebrate these services, and acknowledge their essential role in providing support to people.

“However, every day more and more services are struggling to keep their doors open as funding grows thin. We urgently need investment in the third sector and full funding for the Mental Health Strategy to achieve the transformation of mental health so all those who are struggling can people can receive the help that they need.”

The ‘I Am Someone’ campaign is also being backed by, among others, actor James Nesbitt and Olympian Rhys McClenaghan, and involves stories from Action Mental Health clients who have accessed support being shared to send out a message that, with the right intervention, recovery is possible.

It also highlights how one in five adults experiences mental health difficulties.

James Nesbitt said: “As the saying goes, it’s always darkest before the dawn, but remember – no matter how dark it gets, help is out there and recovery is possible.”

"Mental health matters and it’s something which affects us all. We often hear about how bad healthcare waiting lists are in Northern Ireland and how mental health services are close to breaking point. We therefore need to ensure that timely access to support is there when and where people need it.”

Rhys McClenaghan told the audience at Stormont that he hopes the campaign “will keep the conversation going about mental health and serve as a reminder to us all that there are real people behind the statistics we read about but that help is available, no matter what you’re going through.”

David Babington, CEO at Action Mental Health, added that, when discussing the statistics behind service delivery it was easy to forget that “we are talking about people – their lives, their careers, their futures.” He said: “This campaign provides some ownership to those who experience a wide range of mental ill-health and, as a result, are directly affected by ongoing funding cuts, closures of support services and programmes.

“’I Am Someone’ forms part of our wider efforts to highlight the need to protect and enhance mental health service provision across Northern Ireland. If we are to truly implement the transformation agenda, we need to acknowledge the critical role played by the community and voluntary sector in delivering support to the most vulnerable in our society.”

Sinn Féin MLA Liz Kimmins spoke at the launch to give an overview of the mental health policy environment in Northern Ireland.

Welcoming the launch of the campaign she said: “We need to see the mental health strategy implemented without further delay and the emphasis on early intervention and prevention are key. The Community and Voluntary sector play a crucial role in providing services in communities, bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge, and today we heard just how important this work is from service users who, with the support of Action Mental Health, have been able to rebuild themselves and their lives."

SDLP MLA Justin McNulty stated: “I’m delighted to be supporting the “I am Someone” campaign by Action Mental Health campaign. We know the importance of good mental health is at the heart of a good healthy person, family and community. We need to ensure that support for mental health organisations like Action Mental Health is there for individuals who have fallen on hard times to get the help and support that they need”.

You can find out more about the campaign and view all the videos here: https://www.amh.org.uk/iamsomeone/