May 21, 2014
Children sent abroad as our care system fails to cope
Irish Independent, 21-May-2014
Children sent abroad as our care system falls to cope. Twelve deeply troubled children are being held at care facilities abroad, at an annual cost of €3.6m, because there is nowhere suitable for them in Ireland, the Irish Independent has learned.
Beaumont chief quits over unsafe' mental health policies
Irish Examiner, 19-May-2014
Mental Health Reform has criticised a major acute hospital for leaving patients at risk of suicide in its busy and overcrowded emergency department for hours on end. The clinical director of Beaumont Hospital in Dublin has resigned because he feels the situation was entirely unsafe and in- defensible.
'Wear a green ribbon and help start a conversation'
Connemara Journal, 16-May-2014
The third annual MayFly 10K Challenge will take place in Oughterard on Saturday May 24. This year the organisers have teamed up with See Change, the National Mental Health Stigma Reduction Partnership, in an attempt to change Irish attitudes and behaviours to mental health issues. See Change launched a major national campaign this month 'to get people talking openly about mental health problems' – with 300,000 green ribbons distributed nationwide free of charge.
Suicide
Cyber-bullying a risk factor in suicide: report
Irish Independent, 21-May-2014
Cyber-bullying is linked to higher levels of depression, suicidal thoughts and social isolation among young people, according to a new report. However, although cyber-bullying is a risk factor in suicide, where young people have attempted to take their own lives it is not the only reason.
Mental patients treated abroad
Galway City Tribune, 16-May-2014
Psychiatric patients are being sent abroad for treatment, at a time when the health service locally closed a mental health unit in County Galway. The cost to the Health Service Executive (HSE) of sending patients abroad for treatment for mental health problems could be as much as €3.1 million annually, as it costs an average of €13,000 per month per patient.
