On 12th October, 2009 John Maloney, TD, Minister for Equality, Disability and Mental Health launched a new website for young people www.letsomeoneknow.ie aimed at improving their awareness and understanding of mental health and well-being. The aim is to encourage young people to talk about their problems with family, friends or an adult they trust.

The website www.letsomeoneknow.ie is an interactive platform that will increase young people’s awareness about mental health and wellbeing as well as providing contact details for support and advice. There are tips and quizzes about looking after yourself and your friends. The website also features a personal action diary...

To mark the launch, the HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention announced the findings of new research it commissioned into‘Young People and Mental Health – A National Survey’ undertaken by Millward Brown Landsdowne. The research results show that when asked their opinions of what helps or hurts mental health, 86% of Young People regarded isolation as something that hurts mental health, while over 6 in 10 believe that family life can help mental health. 96% of young people agreed that ‘mental health is something we should look after’ and 84% agreed that ‘mental health has to do with feeling good about yourself and happy day to day living’.

The research shows that alcohol, peer pressure and drugs are the top 3 problems young people face today, while bullying and exam pressure are also in the top 5.53% said that ‘adults do not understand what it is like to be a teenager’. 63% of young people agreed that ‘Ireland is a fun place to be a teenager’, however 43% agreed that ‘the future for Ireland is not very bright’.