The “revolving-door nature” of visits to emergency departments by those in mental distress is “forcing our loved ones to end their lives”, an Oireachtas committee has heard.
Joe Loughnane, who has been advocating for separate admission units for those in mental health emergencies, told the Public Petitions Committee on Tuesday evening he believed his brother would still be alive if such units existed in Ireland.
The committee was considering his petition to establish mental health emergency departments and 24/7 crisis care centres.
Loughnane, whose online petition has garnered more than 21,600 signatures, described his younger brother Adam Loughnane as a “gentle” and “academically gifted young man” who suffered from suicidal ideation in the later years of his life.
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The 34-year-old presented to University Hospital Galway’s emergency department on February 11th, 2025, and during that visit told staff “numerous times that he wanted to end his life”, Loughnane said.
He was subsequently triaged and advised to wait in the emergency room for psychiatric review.
“He waited over an hour and a half before walking out and ending his life,” Loughnane told the committee.
He said his brother’s death was not the fault of staff members, who are “overworked” and “underpaid”, saying instead, “the system failed him”.
“If Adam had been advised to attend a more appropriate setting for someone experiencing a mental health crisis, I genuinely believe he would still be here today.
“He had done everything right, but ultimately, he was failed when he needed help the most,” he said.
“This has to be the line in the sand. We have the funding, the buildings and the people to create separate, dedicated emergency spaces for patients experiencing a mental health crisis.”
Prof Louise Doyle, head of mental health nursing at Trinity College Dublin, told committee members research shows the environment of an emergency department “is really not the place to be” for those suffering mental health emergencies.
“What can sometimes happen is people just get up and leave, and that’s the last thing we want. When they’ve taken the courage – and courage it takes to present yourself to the ED – we want to keep them there, and that’s the environment we need to find,” she said.
She outlined a 2020 study she co-authored, which involved interviews with 50 people across Ireland who attended an emergency department during a mental health emergency.
Among participants, long waiting times were “almost universally reported”, she said, which were “extremely distressing”.
“Noisy, crowded waiting rooms heightened anxiety and worsened emotional turmoil.
“People often waited for hours while feeling vulnerable, ashamed or frightened. Many expressed a desire to leave before being seen, especially those who attended alone,” she said.
For support: Samaritans on freephone 116 123 or text HELLO to 50808. Pieta Freephone: 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444. Or visit www.yourmentalhealth.ie
