The Defence Forces deputy chief of staff support has said he did “not accept” research presented to an Oireachtas committee which indicated a reluctance among personnel to seek mental health support, saying it was “not my experience”.
A study which identified “significant psychological distress” within the organisation, according to its author, was presented to the Oireachtas defence committee on Thursday morning.
Conducted by Dan Fitzpatrick, who served in the Defence Forces for more than 22 years, the study involved a survey of 687 serving personnel across the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps.
It found that almost all respondents (94 per cent) believed disclosing a mental health difficulty could negatively affect their military career.
Just 22 per cent of respondents indicated they would make such a disclosure to seek medical support.
“This presents a fundamental organisation contradiction. We encourage personnel to recognise psychological difficulties and seek appropriate support, yet the research indicates that many perceive that act of disclosure itself as a potential threat to their professional future.
“A person can recognise their psychological distress, understand the benefits of treatment and still make the calculated decision not to seek help,” Fitzpatrick told committee members.
The survey, which was carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic and was published this year, saw 34 per cent of respondents report having had suicidal thoughts, while 10 per cent reported previously engaging in self-harm.
A quarter also screened positive for probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Fitzpatrick said.
61 respondents (nine per cent) said they had made a previous suicide attempt, with Fitzpatrick arguing these individuals were “invisible to the organisation”.
He told the committee the medical grading system was one of the “largest barriers” to personnel seeking support, saying they receive an “automatic downgrade” once they present with a mental health issue.
Those who receive such downgrades cannot go overseas and, in some circumstances, are removed from the organisation, he said.
Though he was not asking to “abolish” the system, he said restrictions should be proportionate, periodically reviewed and linked to recovery.
During a separate session on Thursday, Defence Forces deputy chief of staff support Colm Ó Luasa was asked by Independent Senator Tom Clonan, a former Defence Forces member, about the findings.
Ó Luasa said stigma was “not a Defence Forces issue” but a “societal issue”.
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“We’re doing a lot of work towards stigma reduction within the Defence Forces,” he added, saying the need to reduce stigma was not “unique to us”.
Asked by Clonan if he believed the 94 per cent figure was representative of the general population, Ó Luasa said: “I don’t recognise that figure. It’s not my experience,” adding that he did not “recognise that level of reluctance”.
“It’s not bearing recognition in terms of our experience as an organisation,” he said.
“In this regard, I don’t accept it.”
Ó Luasa said the Defence Forces delivers training and education in mental health that is based on “internationally-recognised best practice”.
“I think it’s important [to] point out here that we recognise the issue of stigma and we continue to work to reduce that stigma,” he said.
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David Lyons, officer in charge of the Defence Forces personnel support services, told the committee he had made contact with Fitzpatrick about the research, saying there was information that was “useful and could inform future policy”.
Separately, Dr Iseult Coolahan, head of clinical delivery, said the purpose of medical classification was “not punitive” but to allow the Defence Forces to “keep functioning, but also allow that person time to heal”.
“The vast majority do not end up being downgraded and losing their jobs,” she said.