Big Kildare Interview: Mother of man who died by suicide urges government to prioritise carers

A mother residing in County Kildare has called on the government to prioritise carers who work to assist those with disabilities and / or mental health issues Ireland.

The call was made by Noeleen Eustace, who recently started a petition paying tribute to her late son, Kelvin Brennan, who died by suicide back in May of this year.

Through her petition 'Kelvin’s amendment', which is currently live on Uplift.ie, Ms Eustace hopes to put pressure on the government to recognise Dual Diagnosis in the official Mental Health Act 2001.

She explained in the description of the petition that Dual Diagnosis refers to when a person has both a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder (SUD) at the same time.

"There isn’t one specific DSM-5 diagnosis for dual diagnosis," Ms Eustace notes. "Instead, it’s a description of having any combination of a mental disorder from the DSM-5 and an SUD."

In the case of her late son Kelvin, he had been engaging with services from the age of five, but he was not diagnosed until he was 13 years of age, when he advised his mother that he was feeling suicidal.

Kelvin then got a diagnosis privately at the age of 13 of Asperger’s Syndrome, Generalised Anxiety, Sensory Processing Disorder and Dyspraxia.

She added: "Because Dual Diagnosis is not recognised, Kelvin then spent the next 13 years trying to access services, every door was shut.

"In one year alone, Kelvin and I presented at Naas [General Hospital] A&E to try and get treatment for Kelvin. We attended there 60 times, only to be refused time and time again."

Her petition was aimed at the Minister of State at the Department of Health attending cabinet with special responsibility for Mental Health, Mary Butler, who is a TD for Fianna Fáil.

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DEPARTMENT RESPONSE

The Leinster Leader asked Minister Butler about the 'Kelvin’s amendment' petition.

In response to this newspaper’s query, a spokesperson for the Department of Health issued the following reply: "Every death by suicide is tragic and is an immense loss for individuals, families, friends, and communities.

"Reducing rates of suicide and self-harm is a key priority for Minister Butler and the government, and part of this is ensuring that people have access to the services they need.

"This is being achieved through the implementation of 'Sharing the Vision', Ireland’s national mental health policy, and through the successor to 'Connecting for Life', Ireland’s suicide reduction strategy, which is currently being developed."

The spokesperson also claimed that the government is "committed to a more integrated and holistic approach to the development of mental health, Dual Diagnosis and primary care services".

Mary Butler TD, who is the Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of Health attending cabinet with special responsibility for Mental Health. Photograph credit: fiannafail.ie

They continued: "'Sharing the Vision', our national mental health policy, recognises that people with a Dual Diagnosis should have access to appropriate mental health services and supports and recommends several actions for Dual Diagnosis, with the implementation process led by the HSE.

"The Mental Health Bill 2024, which is currently before the Seanad, does not specify any mental health difficulty or mental illness, including Dual Diagnosis.

"A person with a co-existing mental health difficulty, along with another condition such as a substance use issue or an intellectual disability can access inpatient mental health services where the person meets the criteria for involuntary admission."

The spokesperson also maintained that a person presenting with Dual Diagnosis is "already accounted" for in the current provisions of the Bill, and should be able to access services based on need.

They elaborated: "Outside of the Mental Health Bill 2024, a person can also access Health Service Executive (HSE) mental health services, if they are professionally assessed as requiring appropriate care.

"'The Model of Care for People with Mental Disorder and Co-existing Substance Use Disorder' was launched by Minister Butler in May 2023 and was endorsed by the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland.

"The definition of Dual Diagnosis for this model of care is 'the co-morbid disorders due to substance use and / or addictive behaviours along with the presence of mental disorder(s)'.

"It recommends the development of 12 Adult Specialist Dual Diagnosis Teams nationally, and four Adolescent Hub Teams."

The spokesperson concluded: "One of the key components of the Model of Care is the establishment of specialist teams to support individuals with Dual Diagnosis, and funding of over €3 million has been provided by Minister Butler to support the recruitment of Dual Diagnosis teams to-date."

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CRITICISM

However, the Department’s statement has done little to alleviate the concerns from Noeleen, in addition to her sister and the late Kelvin’s aunt, Shirley.

Noeleen works as a social care worker, while Shirley works as a social worker.

Responding to the first three paragraphs of the statement, Ms Eustace told the Leader: "I find this response to be an insensitive one; Mary Butler is not in reality, where people are not getting in the door even though they are literally begging.

"One suicide is too much especially when the individual had sought help, like my son Kelvin, and also Maxine Maguire and Adam Loughnane; three people who sought help numerous times and yet died by suicide [The late Maxine Maguire died in February 2017, while Adam Loughnane died by suicide last February]."

Regarding the spokesperson’s mentions of the 'Sharing the Vision' policy and 'Connecting for Life' strategy, Shirley had this to say: "'Connecting for Life' is only being developed, it is not in place.

"Looking at 'Sharing the Vision', it involves the collective response to many disciplines, which is positive, but can it be explained how long this will take to implement?

"In theory, it looks good, but staffing, securing proposed locations and training will take time."

Shirley also asked: "What is proposed or planned for the interim? How will individuals with suicidal ideations be supported?"

In response to the spokesperson’s point on the Mental Health Bill 2024, Noeleen relented: "This is not the reality of what is happening in A&E departments; once a substance abuse issue is mentioned, the person cannot get a bed."

And when the spokesperson maintained that a person presenting with Dual Diagnosis 'is already accounted for in the current provisions of the Bill', Noeleen countered: "There are no joined up services. Kelvin tried to avail of a community detox programme and was refused by his doctor and ARAS Addiction Services in Newbridge due to the risk involved.

"A doctor, under the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1977, does not have to commit to a ‘community detox plan’ for an individual; another door shut."

In reference to the spokesperson’s point that a person can also access HSE mental health services, Noeleen said: "Kelvin was deemed in need of in patient treatment by St Patrick’s Hospital but not the HSE.

"What is the difference? money versus lack of beds? Or need?"

Regarding the spokesperson’s point on the Model of Care, Noeleen had this to say: "This is a start, however, it has not happened yet. How long will this take to implement?

"The 'Sharing the Vision' policy never got fully implemented, only partially."

Citing a 2025 figure from the Mental Health Commission, she added: "There are around 51,000 people seeking help for mental health issues in Irish A&E departments yearly.

"We need to prioritise carers, people with disabilities / mental illnesses."

Lastly, Noeleen concluded by pointing to a figure from the Central Statistics Office, which recorded 512 deaths by by suicide back in 2021.

Noeleen's petition for Kelvin ('Kelvin's amendment') can be viewed here.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Samaritans Ireland (116123 or jo@samaritans.org) or you can visit pieta.ie (24/7 Free Crisis Helpline: 1800 247 247 or Text HELP to 51444).

In addition, you can also visit https://www.aware.ie/.