Alison Lapper has talked about her heatbreak over the death of her son

Artist Alison Lapper has discussed the sudden death of her son Parys Lapper, and appealed for more support to be offered to young people with mental health issues.

Parys was just 19 when he was found dead in a hotel room in the Sussex seaside town of Worthing last month.

A representation of Alison when she was pregnant with Parys, created by artist Marc Quinn, was displayed on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square between 2005 and 2007. A larger replica of the sculpture was used in the 2012 Paralympic opening ceremony in London. The mother and son also featured on the BBC TV series Child of Our Time.

Alison, who was born with no arms and shortened legs, today described how her son started to have issues with his mental health at secondary school. She believes problems were triggered by bullying he was subjected to because of her disability.

Parys was sectioned, but Alison said she felt his care was disjointed and that his drug and mental health issues should have been approached together, not separately.

Following his death Alison wrote an open letter to Parys in which she described her 'diamond boy' as being gentle and sensitive, and said it was 'a privilege to be your mother.'

For more information and about young people's mental health issues:

YoungMinds charity helps young people access mental health support

Mind is a charity which offers advice and campaigns to improve services

SANE is a UK based mental health charity working to support anyone affected by mental illness

NHS England has information about NHS support for children and young people