The Health Minister says she hopes to be able to protect funding for mental health in the forthcoming budget.
A conference on suicide prevention has heard 1-in-10 14 to 16-year-olds have harmed themselves with half of them doing so more than once.
527 people took their own lives last year.
That is an increase of 103 on 2008.
Support groups say funding is abysmal and fear that the high unemployment and financial worries will see the problem get worse.
Health faces major cuts in the budget in December.
But Minister Mary Harney hopes this is one area that can escape.
