Resources essential to combat ADD

It was a terrible tragedy for both their families, an act for which Willoughby is serving a sentence of life in prison.

However, maybe it might never have happened had Brian Willoughby been treated as a very young child for a condition known as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). It manifested itself in his behaviour when he was only four years of age. He lacked control, had poor concentration and no fear of danger. By seven, he was labelled disruptive in school, and at 12 years of age, he believed he could fly from a balcony to a distant roof.

Despite pleas from his parents for help for him in those years, it was not until he was 16 years of age that he was diagnosed with ADD, and then it was too late.

This brain disorder affects between one and 3% of the population, so to provide the resources to diagnose and treat it should not be insuperable.

The Mulvaney and Willoughby families have to deal with the consequences of it. The Minister for Health should make those resources available to health professionals to prevent another such tragedy happening.