Peter Costello
Protecting Mental Health
by Dr Keith Gaynor(Veritas, €12.99)
Mental health is an issue that affects every family in some way or another. Historians have traced out how the mentally ill were treated – or rather not treated – in the Georgian and Victorian periods. Today we can assume that treatments have improved, and yet, as we all know only too well, the pressures of modern life on the individual’s peace of mind can often have disastrous outcomes.
But treatment of the mentally afflicted is not the whole answer by any means.
In his new book Dr Keith Gaynor suggests instead that it is not treatment, but prevention that we should focus on.
Readership
Dr Keith Gaynor is a Senior Clinical Psychologist with St John of God’s Outpatient Psychological Services in Stillorgan and has a great deal of experience with the varieties of Irish mental illness, all of which has gone into this book, which should have a wide readership.
He builds it around the idea of three revolutions, which are discussed in three divisions of the work: how to be happy, how not to be unhappy, and finally, in a chapter which our political leaders, now madly engaged on winning our support, should engage their minds, how to build a happier country.
Minding our own minds ought to be the first order of business for us all.
The outside pressure on the individual from the state of the world, from their way of working, from how they chose to live their lives are all addressed.
But the basic advice seems to be that to keep ourselves mentally healthy we need to work at it, and moreover to be a help to ourselves we should be a help to others. A sense of others, of family, friends and community goes a long way to helping us be contented, to bear with all the troubles and hazards that we have to face up to.
Give time to ourselves, give time to others, and time to creation it might be added, and we can gain what might well come to be seen as “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding” which the apostle tells us “will keep your hearts and minds”.
Dr Gaynor’s advice is sensible, achievable (which is one great thing), and of benefit in its effects to us, to our families and to society –even to the economy.
He quotes Richard Layard to the effect that the single biggest cause of unhappiness in our community arises from mental health difficulties. “Not poverty, not crime, not physical health. Yet so often this goes untreated with dire results.”
Turning finally to mental health and Irish society, he notes that mental health “is the elephant in the room of public policy; it is so significant we have to start talking about it”. Mental health is a community issue, and unless the larger community embraces and engages with mental health it will always be destined to have poor outcomes.
Legislators
So when those aspiring legislators call at the door seeking your support ask them on the spot what their policies are for a mentally healthy Ireland for everyone. It might be a chance to effect real change. And by taking action it will make you feel happier.