On Monday 4th January 2021, the Northern Ireland CLP of the Labour party passed a motion in relation to the ongoing Mental Health crisis the region is facing.

The motion highlights some of the striking facts that face the North such as the fact that it has one of the highest sucide rates in the world & and nearly twice the average sucide rate of England.

Young people are specifically on trend for this statistic, feeling the brunt of a post-conflict society that is constantly feeling the ripples of the trauma that the troubles have brought to the population.

This trans-generational PTSD, as studied by Queens & Ulster university, is but one example of how this issue is felt far far and wide in society, not only affecting those who experienced the initial pain of the last 50 years.

Healthcare cuts brought about by the executive and the recent pressure that Brexit has put on the province is but a few examples of how this crisis has been exacerbated. Alongside this, the societal issues of poor housing, limited opportunities for jobs, inadequate drug & alcohol policy and the many other issues that trouble people materially and mentally in modern society are all the more serious in Northern Ireland.

Now, with another lockdown underway, this situation of mental healthcare neglect is being magnified by the lack of services available and the strain on an already underfunded health service.

The motion calls upon all parties involved in Northern Ireland to take this situation seriously, recognising that this is an emergency and act accordingly. This issue was recognised as not only the responsibility of those in Stormont but also those in Westminster and the Daíl too. Only with a collective, cross-community effort will this difficult problem be solved.

Alongside this motions approval by LPNI, on Tuesday the Annual General meeting of the Labour Party Irish Society also passed a similar motion calling for action on this problem.

Lewis Nesbitt

Social media and communications officer

lewisnesbitt@hotmail.co.uk