Cork East TD tells of the trauma of losing brothers to suicide

Cork East TD Pat Buckley yesterday spoke of the trauma of losing two of his brothers to suicide in a moving contribution to the Dáil.

Speaking during a debate on the provision of health services, he said: “Like many other families, I and my extended family have had to go through the trauma of burying loved ones, not once but on two occasions.

“Over the years I have seen too many of my friends end their lives by suicide. One cannot describe the hurt and sense of loss that is experienced within a family when it is told that one of its own has died by suicide.

“One’s emotions are just sucked from the body and automatically replaced with feelings of hopelessness, sadness, bewilderment, and anger.

“As the eldest of the family, it was I who was tasked with the responsibility of breaking the news to my parents and the rest of my siblings.

“I did not have the answers at the time to my brothers’ deaths and still do not, but surely with better preventative measures and services like 24/7 crisis intervention, so many other families could have been spared the same trauma.”

He said it was high time the Dáil had a proper and meaningful discussion on mental health and, more importantly, the services needed for treatment.