Young people need more support!

Speaking out about sexuality and depression.

On Monday 28th August, Ian Howley, a SpunOut.ie contributor who took part in our suicide awareness video,  made an appeal on RTE's "three 60" for young people to have somewhere to turn for mental health support.

Ian is a 22 year old graphic design student in Letterkenny I.T. and President of the LGBT society in the college.

From the age of 12, Ian felt different from his peers and eventually realised that he was gay. Coming to terms with his sexuality was a long and painful process and Ian became more and more depressed. He isolated himself from family and friends and attempted suicide three times.

After the third attempt, Ian resolved to either end his life for real or start living. According to Ian, coming out to his family and friends wasn't the big deal it's made out to be and posed no major problems once he had accepted his sexuality himself.

Ian believes that depression among teenagers who are coming to terms with their sexuality is a major problem and having nowhere to turn for help and advice contributes to this.

He feels it is vital for people to have somewhere to turn for support and understanding and hopes that by helping to provide a safe place for people to turn to, he can prevent someone else going through the years of depression he himself experienced.

Remember: No matter what worry or problem you're dealing with, there is help and support available. The most important thing is to talk to someone: say what's going on in your mind and ask for help.

See the help section for contacts details of support organisations.
Find out more about mental health.
Find out more about sexuality.