More than one-third of Irish people believe that people with mental health difficulties should not be allowed to have children, according to the National Disability Authority (NDA).
Its latest survey of public attitudes to disabilities has uncovered more negative attitude towards mental health difficulties than any other disability, with high percentages of respondents believing people with mental health problems should not have children, sexual relationships or attend mainstream schools.
Fewer than one in five people thought that those with mental health difficulties should have sexual relationships, compared with one in 10 who believed that people with intellectual disabilities should not have sex.
The vast majority thought it acceptable for people with physical, visual or hearing disabilities to have sex, with just 4 per cent opposing the right of the physically disabled to have sex and 2 per cent stating that visual and hearing impaired people did not have the same rights to a sexual relationship as anyone else.
One-third of respondents said people with mental health difficulties should not have children, more than double the number who thought people with intellectual disabilities should not have children (15 per cent).
Almost half of all respondents (46 per cent) said children with mental health difficulties should not attend mainstream schools. One-fifth said they would object if those children were in the same class as their own children.
Many also thought intellectually disabled people should be kept out of mainstream education (29 per cent) and 26 per cent thought visual or hearing impaired children should not attend mainstream school. Only 14 per cent said people with physical disabilities should not attend mainstream school.
The survey of more than 1,000 adults revealed more positive attitudes than the last attitudes survey in 2001, the NDA said.
