Wednesday, March 23, 2011

A major stigma in 21st century Ireland


My Name is James. I am Twenty one years old. I suffer from anxiety and depression. James has taken the first positive steps in tackling his mental health problems in a mature and responsible way. Research has shown that over half of student would rather tackle depression on their own as a pose to speaking with friends or family members about mental health issues. Mental health problems such as depression are very common and the chances are you or someone close to you has or will experience depression during their lifetime.

Upsetting events or situations derail the regular routine of an individual, leaving then saddened and with a sense of isolation. This is only the beginning of the process; problems will escalate as the desire to remain stagnant in time takes hold. You will begin to feel as if the world is passing you by as all efforts to continue daily tasks eludes you. Driving you further and further into a shell of negativity and despair.

Share the burden and remove the stigma from mental health problems in Ireland today. Mental health issues are easily dealt with one you acknowledge the problem and speak about it. The feeling of despair and isolation can engulf you with doubt and restlessness which will inevitably become too much for you on your own if you do not know how to handle it. Society and individuals need to promote understanding and compassion when dealing with depression. We as a society need to promote awareness and tackle problems such as mental health issues head on.
In the current economic climate students are especially vulnerable to periods of depression, anxiety and worry. Firstly: everyone experiences times in their life where they think they can no longer cope with the pressures of daily life. Mental health is both complex and multidimensional and consists of many layers.

Depression does not simply arrive one day and go in a week or two. There are currently 300,000 people in Ireland who are experiencing some form of depression as you read this now. Depression is the steady increase of anxiety and pressure, and once this becomes too much for the individual, rational thinking and actions evaporates. “It’s something that nobody wants to talk about, I was afraid to bring it up with any of my friends in case they thought I was being a drama queen”.
Sometimes life becomes too much. Sometimes young adults cannot deal with mental health problems easily. Students and young adults tend to ignore mental health issues and opt for going it alone. Friends and family should promote speaking about mental health issues amongst each other, we as a society need to break the mould; we need to welcome discussions and problems amongst young people. As Harry Truman former president of the United States once said “the buck stops here”. We need to take action if any kind of halt is brought to the stigma associated with mental health issues. Times have changed dramatically but still youngsters and adults alike refuse to speak openly. I would urge anybody feeling under down, exhausted or consumed by daily life, to stop and acknowledge that maybe you’re not ok, and that is perfectly fine and easily rectifiable once the correct steps are taken.


Symptoms of depression are :
 Feeling unhappy
 Find it harder to make decisions
 Find it difficult to preform daily tasks
 No interest in daily life
 Loss of desire to succeed
 A feeling of isolation and defeat

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

A Flowery Union ,But The Work To Be done Needs Serious Strategic Thinking


The inevitable has occurred. Eamon and Enda begin there marriage in politics with a positive attitude, which is something we currently are no that used to.Many people are skeptical and believe that it wont be an effective change. Alot of the information being provided at the moment is either very academic or not explanatory enough for us as citizens. One thing though is for certain, for the next five years a coalition between Labour and Fine Geal is set and will implement savage budget cuts and a dramatic change in Irish politics. Lets weigh up some of the main issues that will be dealt with over the coming year.

Pushing through real public sector reform.
Renegotiating the interest rate on the Eu bailout
Privatization of key state assets
reducing the country day to day expenditure without raising income tax.

Lets be under no illusion these a major issues that need to be addressed but also the public needs to brace itself for serious taxation. I would be tempted to follow in the footsteps of Argentina, and just tell the IMF , we simply cannot afford to pay the money back. Its a deal that will cripple the graduates and children of Irish society for the next decade.Why hasn't anybody been held accountable for what went on in the banking sector for well over ten years? Why haven't the hard working people of Ireland been handed these culprits who are responsible for the hardships people are experiencing? The new expenditure cuts outlined will see the wages of Doctors, Consultants and Judges slashed in a bid to save 2 billion which has been set by the IMF. A Referendum will be held in a bid to lower the bills of the public sector in the coming weeks. Fine Gael has promised to keep taxes low even though we are paying a ridiculous amount already, with a bigger emphasis on spending cuts. A national spending review is currently being set up in order to identify failed projects. The Coalition has promised a lot of changes , we will have to just wait and see exactly how effective and true to their word the newly elected government will be. A lot of what is being promised was promised in the last election, and yet the same problems are still evident throughout Irish society such as Homelessness, social exclusion , elitism and over indulgence at the top level. Its time to bring the Country back to the People, and make living in Ireland special again. We have lost something special within Irish society during this despicable fiasco, something which unfortunately might be gone forever.

Wayne

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Latest Update

I Apologize for the delay in the report on the impact the budget cuts will have on education in the Wicklow area over the coming years. There is still some information outstanding which I am waiting on. It should be ready by late next week .However I will be analyzing the implications of a Labour and Fine Gael Government which is looking very likely. As soon as the story breaks I will weight up the pros and cons in a digestible format.
Thanks Again ,
Wayne

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

We Don't Have Much Time For Talking


What a Weekend in Irish Politics. The inevitable has occurred with the complete decimation of Fianna Fail. The anger could be seen throughout the country but no one could have predicted such a display from voters as FF hit an all time low, Eamon De Valera will be turning in his grave. As the newly elected Fine Gael and Labour open crunch talks today, the big question still remains. Can the two parties set aside there difference's and indeed form a coalition in the interest of the country.The party leaders met last night for a period of 80 minutes in Leinster House to begin to hammer out a foundation on which both parties can operate on. Both parties must note that time is of the essence as Europe applies the pressure to conclude a deal within the coming days. the public made it clear they never trusted a single party government and to be honest I would be of a similar opinion, but a coalition between two political parties whom have extremely different policies will be extremely difficult.The general consensus from the public people seems to be : a fresh start and a new begging, a glimmer of hope begins to flicker in the distance. The candle which was effectively blown over by Fianna Fail seems to be upright again and trying to reignite itself. Watch this space.

Wayne