Mental health: ‘I could have been another statistic’

Aidan McMeekin is 18 and lives in Belfast.

His mental health suffered after he was expelled from school.

He said: "It got to the point where I was actually begging to my mum: 'I don't want to be here anymore, please just let me go.'"

Soon after, Aidan was taken to the emergency department of Belfast's Mater Hospital, where, he said, he waited for eight hours before receiving a mental health assessment.

An investigation by BBC News NI has also found that mental health targets have been missed thousands of times at Northern Ireland's emergency departments (ED) - with people like Aidan waiting eight hours and over for for an assessment.

After losing one of his close friends to suicide, Aidan's attitude changed.

"I saw first-hand how it has destroyed their families and I want to make sure that me or no-one I know goes down that route."

He added: "I could have been just a statistic. People say you're forever young, but you're also forever dead."

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, there are a list of organisations that may be able to help at BBC Action Line.

Video journalist: Niall McCracken