Conference Proceedings - School of Nursing & Midwifery - Trinity ...

School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin: 8 th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference
Transforming Healthcare Through Research, Education & Technology: 7 th – 9 th November 2007
Conference Proceedings
respondents reported that the professionals / support persons they
contacted had been effective or very effective in the treatment of
their problems.
A total of 93% of the respondents were willing to seek help for
mental health problems if required and a GP was the preferred
source of help followed by a psychiatrist, counsellor or psychologist.
While almost 90% were willing to contact a GP, only 31% to 48%
were willing to contact a psychiatrist, counsellor or psychologist. Of
the respondents who reported that they would use other
professionals or support persons than those listed, the majority
reported that they would seek help from family and / or friends.
Conclusion
This is the first national survey of the extent of psychological
wellbeing and distress within the Irish population. It is important to
highlight that many adults within the Irish population report ‘good’
or ‘very good’ mental health, physical health and quality of life. Yet
a significant number of adults will experience psychological distress
at some point in their lives that will, for the most part, require some
form of support or intervention, whether formal or informal. While
the majority of these will experience short-term mental health
problems, others may require the help of specialised mental health
services. Thus, as is in other European countries, psychological
distress is an under-acknowledged feature of Irish society and the
findings have implications for policy and service planning in a range
of sectors.
The failure of individuals and civic society to acknowledge
psychological distress has a number of important and fundamental
consequences, from the philosophical to the political, which require
detailed exploration. For present purposes, individual and civic
reluctance to ‘own’ psychological distress can result in psychological
problems going unrecognised yet wreaking personal, familial and
societal trauma. This deficit in ownership also contributes to the
stigma associated with mental illness / distress in Irish society. A
further consequence is that formal and informal supports which
could provide healing, support and hope go undeveloped or
underused, with inevitable social and economic costs for individuals,
families and society.
The NPWDS found that approximately 12% of the Irish adult
population report feeling psychological distress at any particular
time – a figure which is similar to that found in other countries (e.g.
UK, ESEMeD project). It is evident that formal services as currently
provided cannot respond to the demand for support and it may not
be appropriate that they do so in all cases. The decision to seek
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