Suicide claims 70 school children in one year

Seventy children of school-going age died by suicide last year as mental health professionals begged for more staff.

The 70 children whose deaths were recorded by the National Educational Psychological Service did not include children aged 16-18 who were not at school, so the overall figure is likely to be higher.

The Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Mental Health Care heard yesterday that the loss of lives happened against a backdrop of repeated calls for more medical professionals, support staff, and facilities for children in need of psychological and psychiatric care.