Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

"It is horrible to think that people are being pushed to the point where they feel suicide is the only way out. There are bullies everywhere you go; everyone always has something bad to say, some people might wonder, where are all the people who are nice?" They are not my words but those of Robert Supple from Newbridge on 24 October on his Facebook page. Ten days later Robert took his own life, three days after another young teenager in the town.

Earlier this year Newbridge was blighted by the suicide of five young men. Hardly a person in the town was not deeply affected by this epidemic. We cannot allow so many to perish from the silent killer that is mental illness. Sufferers cannot continue to sit in misery in accident and emergency departments waiting for a unit to open. There must be a place for teenagers to go to get help when they are suffering, and there must also be a place for their parents and guardians to seek help.

Every one of us has a role both inside and outside the Chamber in giving shape to a nation that cares for the mental well-being of all citizens. We must nurture a culture in society in which people in distress are encouraged not to feel any less of a human being or any less worthy of help, and to realise that mental health can be recovered after it has been lost; a culture in which we do not feel embarrassed about our own, or a family member's, mental health. It all starts with each and every one of us and our own prejudices, ideas and actions.

The people of Kildare implore the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, to listen to their cry for help. We have the lowest spend on mental health in the country and the lowest investment in the country on young people aged under 24. Funding is urgently required for Lakeview, the psychiatric unit in Naas hospital, which is an antiquated area designated for people suffering with acute mental illness. We desperately need €5 million. I will hand over to my colleague.

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