Parents and family members of children at risk of suicide have spoken of the "turmoil" of overnight vigils as they try to keep their children alive.
A public consultation on Children's Mental health services, which was held in the Seanad, also heard that children at risk of suicide are being treated in adult emergency and psychiatric units in hospitals.
A group of women - described today as "the warriors of Ireland" - appeared before the Seanad to describe the difficulties they have experienced in accessing mental health services for their children.
Independent Senator Pádraig Ó Céidigh praised the women saying "we need to shine a big light on this. We've let you down. These houses have let you down."
One mother described how her daughter, who has autism and a physical disability and also had anorexia, was "fobbed from one waiting list to another at a cost to our daughter's mental and physical health" for two-and-a-half years.
Senator Joan Freeman said: "These are women, mothers who have travelled a journey with their children and they have agreed to come to the Seanad to tell the public and the Government what their journey has been like so far.
"Why I called them warriors is because they have had to fight tooth and nail from the very first day their child was diagnosed to where they are at today."
Senator Freeman added that there "have been 12,000 reports on children and mental health services but now you are going to hear the full story about what it is like to live the experience of the services in Ireland."
Extremely powerful 'real stories' about youth mental health in #seanad @SenJoanFreeman @rtenews pic.twitter.com/Icj1XMm9fL
— Conor McMorrow (@ConorMcMorrow) June 29, 2017
One mother, Lauren, told the committee of how she waited for two-and-a-half years for her daughter to get adequate treatment and spoke of the unnecessary stress on parents.
"There is no support from parents going through this system. No one tells you anything, the supports available or even where to look for resources."
She added, "I was always very driven and had many goals to continuously develop and progress in life, always pushing myself further. Now my goal is to get through the day."
Another mother, Paula, said, "There's no safe environment for a child to go into an accident and emergency department presenting with mental health difficulties."
She said she would not allow her child to be put into an adult psychiatric unit.
She added, "It's not okay for a child with suicidal thoughts to be put on a waiting list. They need help, they need intervention and they need it now."
Another mother spoke of her son’s attempt to take his own life. She pleaded with gardaí to get an ambulance but they said they would take him and drop him off at a hospital emergency department.
Sinead McGee, chairperson of Dublin City and County CAMS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) carers' forum, adopted a similar tone.
She said: "Placements of children in adult psychiatric wards. I have no words here for this."
She read out letters concerning the real life situations of parents and what they are coping with.
One of the letters read:
"We have a very active suicidal 16-year-old boy at home and eventually have been so fearful of his safety that we have had to take him to A&E. As he is 16 this is adult hospital A&E which is extremely scary for an adult, never mind for a young person.
"We get referred to CAMS. We then get our son home from hospital after having the talk from the doctor about safety issues, locking away tablets, about making sure there are no knives left out, nothing that they can put around their neck to actually harm themselves."
"We safe proof our home and then we wait.
The vigil starts.
Continually watching out.
No one is sleeping.
Siblings and family are in turmoil with it all. We are trying to help him stay alive. We are now the last hope trying to do the job of the resuscitator. Keeping him safe, for goodness knows how long, to try and get the help he so desperately needs.
"Every day feels like a lifetime. Every night is endless. Just keep him alive you keep telling yourself
"Everyone just says ask for help if you are not in a good place but when you do, it is not there."
Fianna Fáil Senator Keith Swanick said: "All of your situations reached crisis point before anything happened and that shows a fundamental flaw in the system. You should not have to attend A&E or out of hours with your kids.
"It is something that frustrates me greatly working as a GP that I have to refer vulnerable children to A&E to access the services in order to save their lives."
