‘Out of Silence’ Including women’s voices in the mental health conversation
Published: Wednesday, July 04, 2018
Recent media reports have highlighted a worrying trend of young women dying by suicide in areas of South-West Dublin. The women were primarily young mothers affected by poverty, homelessness, and adverse life experiences. In examining mental health policy and service provision, we need to reflect that women are more likely to be poor, to parent alone, to be the main provider of unpaid care work, to be in precarious employment, to earn low wages and to be at risk of domestic or sexual violence. Mental health policy and service developments need to take account of the full range of factors which influence women’s mental health
NWCI has had a particular focus on women’s mental health since 2016, our work has included co-hosting, the World Congress on Women’s Mental Health in March 2017; and production in 2017 of the docu-film ‘Out of Silence – Women’s Mental Health in Ireland’ exploring mental health from women’s perspective.
In 2017/8 we are facilitating a programme of group conversations with women across the country, discussing their experiences of mental health and what supports their wellbeing. Women have identified the effectiveness of providing women-specific, community-based mental health supports and the importance of providing access to free counselling services for women, particularly for those who have been subjected to domestic and sexual violence.
NWCI are incorporating these experiences and insights into our policy and advocacy work. In January 2018, NWCI had the opportunity to input into the work of the Joint Oireachtas Committee to develop ‘a single, long-term vision for mental health care in Ireland’. The Department of Health is also revising the National Mental Health Policy, ‘A Vision for Change’ and we will engage in the National stakeholder consultations in August on the impacts of gender on mental health. More information on how you can become involved in the national stakeholder consultations