Former Rep. Patrick Kennedy speaks out after death of Saoirse Kennedy Hill
'She was a real hero in our family.'
In the wake of his relative’s death, Rep. Patrick Kennedy called mental health in America “a public health crisis.”
The former congressman appeared on NBC Nightly News with correspondent Kate Snow on Friday, commenting on the death of his cousin’s daughter, Saoirse Kennedy Hill, who died of an apparent drug overdose Thursday at the family’s Hyannis Port compound.
“This affects every single family in America,” the former congressman said. “It’s way past time that we deal with this in a way that we would deal with any other public health crisis.”
Kennedy Hill, 22, was seen as a “a real hero in my family” for speaking out about her struggles, according to Rep. Kennedy. Members of the Kennedy family are sharing tributes on social media.
“She opened the door for her peers to also come out and not feel shamed by this illness,” he added. “She broke the silence. And we mourn her loss, but her memory will live on as someone who wasn’t going to keep silent and wasn’t going to be feeling as if she had something shameful, but rather something medical that she sought treatment for.”
Saoirse Kennedy Hill’s death is putting a spotlight on America’s mental health crisis, after writing about her own struggles years ago.
“This is a public health threat,” her cousin and former Congressman Patrick Kennedy tells @TVKateSnow.
More tonight on @NBCNightlyNews. pic.twitter.com/m9OWZTGtiw
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) August 2, 2019
Kennedy Hill wrote candidly about her struggles with depression three years ago in The Deerfield Scroll, her high school newspaper. Rep. Kennedy excerpted the piece on Twitter yesterday.
Saoirse’s sincere account of her depression is a powerful reminder of how so many people suffer alone and feel isolated. I am proud Saoirse was able to be open and tell her story. I encourage everyone to read her words. https://t.co/1rv7hbHbb7
— Patrick J. Kennedy (@PJK4brainhealth) August 2, 2019
Rep. Kennedy served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Rhode Island’s first congressional district from 1995 to 2011. He is a mental health and addiction advocate.
