West Mayo man speaks at World Health Organisation Conference in Paris

One Mayo person had the privilege of speaking at a recent EU Conference in Paris.

Kilmeena man Michael Ryan recently addressed a joint World Health Organisation EU commission Mental Health policy conference in Paris. The conference was in relation to the importance of integrating the expertise of personal lived experience into health systems to ensure they are person centred and provide better recovery opportunities for people with mental health challenges.

Michael addressed the plenary session of the conference which was attended by 33 ministers from 26 countries including Ireland’s minister Mary Butler on the concepts of recovery in mental health and the role of lived experience in achieving recovery.

He also referenced the WHO Roadmap on ‘transforming Mental health through integrating Lived experience’ roadmap for integrating lived and living experience practitioners into policy, services and community’ which was launched on June 30 at an online WHO webinar event.

For the past year, Michael chaired a taskforce of seventeen international experts which co-created the Roadmap document. Michael has led a number of initiatives in the HSE over a number of years to support mental health services becoming more recovery oriented and is currently head of the National Mental Health office of Engagement and Recovery which oversees a number of national programmes including Recovery Education/ Colleges, Peer support working, Mental Health Engagement to inform service improvement and aspects of policy implementation.

Speaking at the conference in Paris, Michael emphasised the need for us to demystify mental health and realise that we all have mental health which for the most part gives us resilience to cope with the ups and downs of everyday life. It is only when we lose this resilience for whatever reason that we can develop mental health challenges that can become life impacting. However, to recover from these challenges, we must take away the fear and stigma around mental health difficulties and enter into a relationship with one’s mental health to understand one’s own ‘lived experience’ and to access support that will help you recover.

Michael who is in recovery himself says that recovery does not necessarily mean cure but rather managing your condition with support to allow one to achieve goals and ambitions in life that are important to them.

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West Mayo man speaks at World Health Organisation Conference in Paris

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