Adults must 'find what is best' for young people in mental health crisis

Young people at the Yap Ireland National Conference in Croke Park on Thursday.

Adults working with young people in mental health crises need to find what is best for them instead of picking on what is wrong, a Cork-based youth advocate has said.

An information pack for young people attending inpatient psychiatric units or who are in recovery was launched on Thursday by Youth Advocate Programmes (YAP) Ireland in partnership with the Mental Health Commission.

The pack has been redesigned after advice from young people who wanted less colour, fewer busy pages, and more practical tips, including explainers on medical jargon.

Gary Kiernan, Mental Health Commission, YAP Ireland CEO Siobhan O'Dwyer, Danielle O'Sullivan, independent mental health advocate at YAP, and MHC chief executive John Farrelly at Yap Ireland's National Conference on Thursday.

Viktorija Gecaite is a youth advocate with teenagers at the Blackpool centre in Cork city.

They use “a strengths-based approach” she said, adding this means that “you don’t pick on what is wrong, you find what is best for the young people".

She told the conference that creating safe spaces is important, saying “some like to talk, some like silence, some paint instead of speaking, and some throw a bowling ball instead of crying".

"Every young person expresses themselves in a different way and feels safe in different situations," she said.

During the conference, held at Croke Park, two young boys from Cork, Alex and Dave, read a poem they had written.

“I am glad to be me, no-one is just like me, I noticed this is true," it read.

No-one walks the way I walk, no-one talks the way I talk, no-one plays the way I play, no-one says the things I say.

They finished: “There is no-one I would rather be than me. I’m sure you would all agree.” 

Ciara, a teenager from Cavan/Monaghan, described how she struggled in school due to a dual diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

She is now training at the Festina Lente equestrian centre and said being “calm and happy” is possible when you are supported to learn in your own way.

Ombudsman for Children Niall Muldoon welcomed the ‘Headspace Toolkit’, saying input from young people brought “real clarity” to it.

Ombudsman for Children Niall Muldoon said children have the right 'to be heard, to have their voices taken on board'. Picture: Maxwells

“That’s one of children’s rights, to be heard, to have their voices taken on board,” he said.

“We in our office get complaints about mental health services, complaints about how children are dealt with. 

Children are often ignored; their parents are talked to but they are not talked to, or things aren’t explained.

The toolkit is “a real big step forward”, he said.

Gary Kiernan, director of regulation at the Mental Health Commission, said information in the pack is age-appropriate for young people using mental health services or going into hospitals.

“The aim is to help make sure that mental health staff and other adults hear young people,” he said.

What we hear time and time again in our role as people who inspect mental health services is that staff don’t always listen to what young people want and what they want to happen.

The booklet also has advice on how to talk to healthcare workers, and tips on what to pack.

The Headspace toolkit can be read online or downloaded for free at the Mental Health Commission website. See: mhcirl.ie/headspace