A leading campaigner says the tragic case of an 11 year old girl who died by suicide last year highlights the difficulty in accessing help.
Milly Tuomey was self harming and had been expressing suicidal thoughts. She was found in a critical condition on New Year's Day 2016, and died four days later.
She passed away while waiting for an appointment with the HSE's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.
Yesterday her inquest heard how she had been unhappy with how she looked and had written 'Beautiful Girls Don't Eat' in biro on herself.
Former Senator Jillian Van Turnhout says this devastating case shows people dealing with suicidal ideation should not have to wait any length of time to get professional help.
"Her family knew she needed help and they couldn't the services in a timely and appropriate way. It is unacceptable in Ireland in 2017 that a young child who was having these thoughts could not get immediate access."
The children's campaigner says the health authority's CAMS department needs to be brought under the remit of Túsla, the child and family agency, rather than remaining part of the HSE.
Psychologist Dr Mark Smyth says the first thing anyone worried about a young person can do is simply to talk to them.
"It's a myth that it's not helpful to talk about difficult subjects be it self-harm or suicide or eating difficulties. We need to encourage these conversations and when we open those up we need to be ready to answer the questions they might have."
Anyone who is worried about themselves or someone else can contact a number of helpful services:
Teen-Line Ireland 1800 833 634
Childline 1800 66 66 66
Aware 1800 80 48 48
Pieta House 1800 247 247
Samaritans 116 123
