Pat's Answer

Hello, you are very welcome to Ask Pat.

Thank you so much for sharing what has been going on for you. It can be very difficult to do this but we know how important it is for young people to share their problems. Talking about what is happening for you is a big step forward. 

You say that your best friend says very toxic things to you and makes comments only to you on Fortnite as you feel you are not very good at it. You have mentioned that these comments are making your suicidal thoughts worse. 

You have taken the right steps in reaching out for help and it is such a brave thing to do. Have you spoken to your best friend about how their comments make you feel? You have the right to be valued and to be loved. No one has the right to make you feel like you are not good enough. Friendships should be a positive experience and our friends should be supportive and make us feel good about ourselves.  

You mentioned having suicidal thoughts. Have you spoken to your parents or another trusted adult such as your GP, an aunt, teacher or grandparent about how you have been feeling? Your mental health is so important and you have the right to receive medical help and to access the advice that will help you. You do not have to go through this alone. If you feel you cannot talk to somebody that you know just yet, Childline is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and the services are free. We are non-judgemental and we could help you look at the options that are available to you should you need more help. You can contact us through our telephone service on 1800 66 66 66, through our text service on 50101, or by webchat through our website www.childline.ie . You can also call the emergency services on 999 or 112 from any mobile or landline, free of charge if you believe you may act on these suicidal feelings.   

There are also other organisations that you can reach out to for help including: www.jigsaw.ie ; www.yourmentalhealth.ie and www.spunout.ie (if you are over 16). The Childline website has some articles as well which you can have a look through: www.chidline.ie/how-i-feel/  

We hope that you have found this response helpful. Remember, you have taken a big step in reaching out for help and describing what is going on for you. 

We hope to hear from you soon. Take care of yourself, 

Pat