This article features themes of a sensitive and potentially distressing nature. If you or any person are affected by the topics addressed, resources are available at the end of this article.
Leah Cull grew up in the Arigna Mountains in county Roscommon, surrounded only by family, mountains and windmills.
As a teenager, Leah suffered with depression and anxiety and attended her first counselling session at the age of 15, a time in her life she still reflects on and is incredibly grateful for to this day.
Leah recalled how difficult it was for her mother to find a service for mental health at that time, especially considering that back then there was no such thing as deducted rates or free services for mental health counselling.
At the age of 18, Leah’s father took his own life, following a negative experience with the mental health system that he was in. This was not due to the people in the system, but rather the lack of “leadership and resources”.
“It was nothing to do with the doctors or nurses, our local GP was brilliant,” Leah said.
“I just felt like he wasn’t given a chance. He was thrown in a room with the door locked behind him, which in itself I feel is so wrong.”
Following her father’s passing, Leah moved to Australia while on her journey towards healing following such a tragic loss.
While in Australia, her brother James also sadly took his own life. He was 20 years old.
“James really did not want to die,” Leah said.
“He used to say that his mind was so sick, that he had no control over it.”
James had sought psychiatric help and counselling through a different service to his father, but unfortunately, he was deemed fine based on an assessment which Leah referred to as a “clipboard assessment”.
Leah would frequently communicate with James while he was in this facility, and James had often referred to the fact there were children being admitted into the adult ward that he was in.
“I never want to blame anyone for their deaths, that they could have had the best help in the world but still passed away, and I understand that.”
Leah’s story is unfortunately one that many people relate to and resonate with.
Following James’ death, Leah took to social media as a form of public letter to the Minister for Health at the time (Simon Harris) and posted a video talking about the need for reform in the mental health services.
The video went viral both nationally and internationally, with many people speaking out and agreeing with Leah’s thoughts.
Following the events mentioned, Leah became a local county counsellor in Roscommon and is currently studying psychotherapy.
When I asked Leah if these events are what caused her to pursue a role as a county counsellor, she said that while she was set on being an advocate for mental health, she realised the power being a local politician in helping to create genuine change.
“I started doing research into the mental health facilities in Ireland and I thought to myself: as one of the richest countries in Europe, why are we so underfunded and so understaffed [in the mental health sector]?” ….“So, I decided that I can’t change the entire mental health system, but I can try and better my community in some way or another.”
Leah currently volunteers with Northwest STOP – a charity founded in the North-West of Ireland that runs a hotline and counselling service for people in the area.
With Northwest STOP, you can call or text and receive a list of counsellors in your local area.
This charity, like many others, is not government-funded, therefore it completely relies on donations. Groups like Northwest STOP take the backlog from many other charities, as well as those on waiting lists.
Leah also delivers workshops to schools, colleges and businesses on mental health, wellbeing and advocating for speaking up about mental health issues.
When asked what she thinks could be changed or made to help the mental health services, Leah mentioned the need for counsellors in secondary schools would be vital in breaking down stigma and allowing people from a young age to talk about their emotions.
“I think there’s a societal pressure [on young people], to have things done by certain ages, and I think a lot of the time were just existing and were not really living.”
Leah’s work with Northwest STOP and delivering workshops is one of the many encouraging stories of communities coming together for the greater good.
An example of this is Fergal Guihen, a young man cycling from Roscommon to Australia to raise funds for both Northwest STOP and the Mayo Roscommon Hospice.
There is also Make the Moove, a charity that provides mental health support and counselling to rural farming families.
Supporting communities coming together to provide help to each other is something Leah is incredibly passionate about within reform in the mental health sector, as well as an emphasis on sufficient training for local GPs in mental health crises, and a reform of the youth services.
“Prevention is better than a cure as I keep saying, it’s better to build strong children than it is to fix broken adults.”
In speaking to Leah, the question arose as to whether this issue is a national problem, or whether rural Ireland is experiencing this lack of resources more than urban areas.
“I feel like we don’t have the same access to facilities that people in the city may have, even when it comes to things like transport, said Leah. We have one minister in county Mayo [Dara Calleary], but other than that there has been no emphasis on how to expand or benefit rural Ireland when it comes to anything – including mental health services.”
Leah’s story serves as a reminder that behind every statistic is a family forever changed.
In the silence left by those who are gone, their families and friends fight tooth and nail for adequate mental health services that reach every corner of this island.
Help is always available
Samaritans (Mental Health and Suicide Hotline): jo@samaritans.ie or call on 116 123
Make The Moove (Supporting the wellbeing of rural farming families across Ireland): Call/WhatsApp: 086 084 0442
Pieta House (Free 24/7 Crisis helpline):1800 247 247 or Text HELP to 51444