Una Butler describes her ‘living nightmare’ as she calls for a change in mental health legislation.

Monday 14th, 12:30pm

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Sharon McHugh
TV3 PRESS OFFICE
+3531 419 3430 / 087 922 4143
sharon.mchugh@tv3.ie
publicity@tv3.ie

Ciara Byrne
+353 1 419 3329 / 087 3199732
ciara.byrne@tv3.ie

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IMMEDIATE: Tuesday 8th October 2013

Una Butler describes her ‘living nightmare’ as she calls for a change in mental health legislation.

On the 16th of November 2010, Una’s husband John Butler killed their daughters Zoe and Ella before taking his own life.

As part of Ireland AM's ‘Time to Talk Mental Health Campaign’ Una is calling on HSE to change the legislation around mental health to involve spouses or partners living with the person in treatment without breaking Doctor-Patient confidentiality.

To view Una’s interview in full please click on the following links:

http://www.tv3.ie/3player/show/184/69991/1/Ireland-AM

http://www.tv3.ie/3player/show/184/69992/1/Ireland-AM

Ireland AM's Time to Talk Mental Health campaign airs every morning this week from 7am on TV3.

Speaking to Mark Cagney and Sinead Desmond on Ireland AM this morning (Tuesday 8th November), Una Butler describes how her world came crashing down almost three years ago when her husband John murdered their two daughters ,Zoe and Ella, before taking his own life. He had been suffering from a mental illness and Una feels that had the situation been dealt with differently, it could have been prevented.

“There’s still an air of unreality around the whole awful living nightmare really. My girls were my world, and sometimes I just think is this really after happening, you know? It’s very, very hard living without Zoe and Ella. Sometimes I just think I'm floating from day to day.”

“I won't ever forgive him [John] for doing what he did to Zoe and Ella, he wouldn't expect me to, and it's just, the very sad thing is that I believe it could have been prevented.”

“Zoe and Ella should be here today, it's very sad for John to do what he did, but it's because of his mental illness. That is the reason the girls aren't with me here today.”

Una told Mark and Sinead that John had been suffering from depression and receiving treatment for up to three months before the tragedy occurred. She explained that since 2000 in the Republic of Ireland there have been 27 cases of filicide and 38 children have been murdered by their parents. She feels that spouses and partners living with a person suffering from mental illness should be including included in treatment to give a better insight into their behaviour at home which could possibly preempt a similar situation arising.

“The medical profession might have treated John differently having heard my side of the story, and that would be without discussing what John was telling them, you know, without discussing it with me, so they'd have a greater insight into his behaviours at home because I don't believe that he'd have told them everything about his behaviours at home”

“I believe that if I was educated on the illness, if there was a support liaison person there for the family to explain the illness maybe the side-effects of the medication, the effects that it would have had on John, that I would have been able to understand it better.”

“The welfare of children is paramount. When somebody presents themselves to the doctors with a mental illness, depression or whatever, if there are children living under the same roof there should be a risk assessment sent out. Even for a support person to be there for the family if they've any queries, for them to learn about the illness themselves; to be educated on it and to be able to understand it better.”

Una now receives counselling every week to help her deal with her loss but she will not take medication.

“I haven't taken medication because I do believe it would numb the pain but my grief is my pain. It's not going to go away. It's just learning to live with it every day, and you know some days you've bad days, you've good days and it’s always there. I believe my little girls are with me. Zoe and Ella are always with me, carrying me through really. There's somebody carrying me through really.”

She has been lobbying for a review of the Mental Health Act, 2001, which is underway and Mark revealed today that Ireland AM received a statement from the HSE to say it is near completion, at which point they will contact Una to discuss it further.

When Sinead asked Una if she had anything to say to Kathleen Lynch, who will be on Ireland AM later in the week, she replied:

“I think that more independent, in-depth investigations need to be carried out in order for further tragedies to be prevented and I'm waiting for an investigation. The HSE were side tracked a bit, but I met with them two weeks ago and they're hopefully getting back on track but this is three years later.”

Ireland AM's Time to Talk Mental Health campaign airs every morning this week from 7am on TV3.

For more information visit www.tv3.ie/timetotalk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hash tag #timetotalk

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ENDS

For further information
Ciara Byrne

Press Officer

00353 1 419 3329

00353 87 319 9732

Sharon McHugh
Head of Press & Publicity

00353 1 419 3430
00353 87 922 4143

publicity@tv3.ie
www.tv3.ie

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