Health Minister to join Bressie's mental health debate at Electric Picnic

Minister for Health Simon Harris is set to join a unique discussion on the future of mental health in Ireland at Electric Picnic this weekend.

The discussion, entitled ‘The Future Is Unwritten’ is part of a dedicated new mental health and wellbeing stage hosted by A Lust For Life, a new non-profit wellbeing movement set up by Westmeath's Niall Breslin (Bressie).

On Sunday evening at 7pm Minister Harris will join Tómás Ó’Ruairc from the Teaching Council of Ireland, Clinical Psychologist Dr. Malie Coyne, the CEO of Pieta House Brian Higgins and others in what is set to be a lively discussion hosted by Róisín Ingle from the Irish Times.

The A Lust For Life stage will be located in the Theatre Tent in the Mindfield area from 7pm-10pm each evening of the festival. It includes a workshop on confidence by elite Performance Psychologist and advisor to Olympic athletes Gerry Hussey, and a workshop on humour with Psychologist Joe Geary.

There will be a panel discussion on women, mental health and social change entitled ‘Minding your mind – When you’re not just rocking the cradle, but rocking the system’ led by Sinéad Burke (A.K.A ‘Minnie Mélange’) that will feature Caroline Downey (President of the ISPCC and Childline), Edel McGinley (Migrant Rights Centre) and Anna Cosgrove from the Repeal Project. Mental Health First Aid Ireland will also be present throughout each evening.

Gerry Hussey will also lead an interactive Q&A with the four participants of Bressie’s acclaimed RTÉ2 Ironmind documentary in which four ordinary people with mental health challenges trained for a gruelling half-Ironman event.

Speaking in advance of the festival, Bressie said he is hopeful that things are starting to change.

“Three years ago I stood on the theatre stage of the Mindfield area of Electric Picnic in front of just a handful of people and told them about my journey with my mental health. A Lust for life are now running that very same stage three years later and how much has changed in that time.

'A new Ireland is slowly emerging. Our vision at A Lust for Life is one where people come first in our society, that the wellbeing of humanity is the headliner on the main stage and everything else is just the support act.”

A Lust For Life is a non-profit wellbeing movement that runs the popular www.alustforlife.com website, as well as events and campaigns relating to mental health and wellbeing. It is currently short-listed for a Social Entrepreneurs Ireland award.