Ireland needs to wake up and take action to address the youth mental health crisis facing the country, it has been claimed.
National youth organisation, Spunout.ie, said there is an urgent need to invest in the younger generation if the country is to build a sustainable, inclusive and happy society.

Chief executive Manus Hanretty said spiralling unemployment and migration was affecting Ireland's young population.

"There is a lot of talk about young people being our future," he said. "However our youth are now suffering massively from the devastating economic turn-down resulting in cut backs in education, youth unemployment rates of 30%, and up to 1,000 people per week emigrating.