Just 1% of tax surplus would ease suffering

FINALLY, the untold suffering of countless children and adolescents in this €6 billion tax surplus-buoyed Celtic tiger society that is modern Ireland has been whispered aloud.

Children — our children — suffer psychiatric illnesses like depression and schizophrenia, in the same way as they suffer asthma and diabetes. It’s just not OK to talk about it.

And it’s very hard to get treatment, because it either isn’t there in the first place, or because you have to wait, sometimes a long time.

Ironically, mental illnesses are relatively inexpensive to treat. An approximate investment of an extra €60 million a year would fully fund the requisite number of consultant-led child and adolescent psychiatric teams to provide an out-patient service to our children and adolescents. This is 1% of the tax surplus — 1% to help ease some of that suffering. It shouldn’t be that difficult to find the money.

Dr Kieran Moore

Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist

Tinneranny House

Tinneranny

New Ross

Co Wexford