#Mental Health

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#Mental Health

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>'Today the plains are flooded, the fields are lakes, the sky is grey, and a clouded mist sticks to you like depression.' Picture: Andy Gibson</p>

columnists

Gareth O'Callaghan: The depression express and the small Irish habit of laughing through pain

A train journey, a funeral, and a shared conversation reveal Ireland’s complicated relationship with depression and silence

<p>The 34-year-old was released into his parents' care following a High Court hearing on January 15. </p>

news

Autistic man with emotional age of a child in jail over Christmas

<p>Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard : 'This is a tragedy for the family and also a tragedy for Mr Ogbo (the accused).' File picture: Larry Cummins</p>

court and crime

Man's schizophrenia treatment offer arrived two days after he killed his grandmother, Cork court told

Official Opening of the Central Mental Hospital, Portrane

court and crime

Central Mental Hospital admits Cork man who has spent eight months in prison

HSE CEO Bernard Gloster

munster

HSE chief apologises ‘unequivocally’ for North Kerry Camhs failures

Neglected lonely child

munster

Youth mental health lead says ‘clearly there was a failure of oversight’ in North Kerry Camhs

Middle aged asia people old mom holding hands trust comfort help young woman talk crying stress relief at home. Mum as friend lo

Trust in HSE mental health services for children 'deeply shaken' by Camhs report

Some 79% of children were given medication under North Kerry Camhs in 2023, compared to a national rate of 39%.

Thu, 19 Feb, 2026

Sad girl in hooded top, sitting on a window ledge with head in hands in despair

Calls for major extension of HSE review of children's mental health care

HSE South West has pledged to review more cases before November 2022, but a solicitor representing many of the families seen by Camhs in Kerry said this should extend to 2010 "at least"

Thu, 19 Feb, 2026

Mark Zuckerberg

Zuckerberg defends Meta at unprecedented social media trial

The case, along with two others, has been selected as a bellwether trial, meaning its outcome could impact how thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies are likely to play out.

Wed, 18 Feb, 2026

Mental heath referrals

Families 'heartbroken and angry' after north Kerry mental health services report

Review of 374 active cases highlights medication concerns, governance failings and widespread risk in north Kerry child mental health services

Wed, 18 Feb, 2026

Official Opening of the Central Mental Hospital, Portrane

Central Mental Hospital has 38 on waiting list for 111 beds, Cork court told

A 58-year-old man in need of psychiatric treatment has spent the last eight months remanded in jail in the absence of a place at the Central Mental Hospital

Tue, 17 Feb, 2026

Inclusive Cork school left waiting for autism classes — as parents fund new sensory space

Inclusive Cork school left waiting for autism classes — as parents fund new sensory space

Scoil Eoin in Ballincollig has yet to get funds for three autism spectrum disorder classes already sanctioned by the NCSE

Mon, 16 Feb, 2026

Official Opening of the Central Mental Hospital, Portrane

Court to continue search for psychiatric treatment for Cork man deteriorating in prison

Judge Boyle said: 'There simply are not enough beds to accommodate all the persons in the state who need them'

Mon, 16 Feb, 2026

Scales Of Justice On Sunrise Landscape Background

Marion McKeone: Judgement day for social media platforms

Big Tech is facing a class action in the US over the addictive design of online apps

Sat, 14 Feb, 2026

Coronavirus - Tue Jan 26, 2021

Prisons watchdog expresses 'deep reservations' about how inmate was restrained before his death

Concern raised over extent of internal and external injuries revealed by a post mortem

Fri, 13 Feb, 2026

Official Opening of the Central Mental Hospital, Portrane

Remedial works continue to fix heating at Ireland's state-of-the-art €200m mental hospital

At the start of the week, residents at the Central Mental Hospital in Portrane were being advised to wear 'warm clothing'

Fri, 13 Feb, 2026

Wealthy New Yorker found not guilty of murdering father at Laois resort by reason of insanity

Wealthy New Yorker found not guilty of murdering father at Laois resort by reason of insanity

Consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Stephen Monks said the accused told him he had smoked a lot of weed in high school during his mid-teens but stopped doing so by the age of 20

Thu, 12 Feb, 2026

Official Opening of the Central Mental Hospital, Portrane

Cork man in need of urgent psychiatric care remanded in jail due to lack of room at CMH

Judge Helen Boyle, who said the accused was clearly unwell and his condition was deteriorating while in prison over the past eight months, said: 'I am not a psychiatrist but I have a report that says he is in urgent need of medical attention.'

Thu, 12 Feb, 2026

Ireland’s prison system under fire over treatment of inmates with mental illness

Ireland’s prison system under fire over treatment of inmates with mental illness

RTÉ documentary lays bare how prisoners with severe mental illness are failed by the State, with devastating consequences for families

Thu, 12 Feb, 2026

Mentally ill people in prisons are being failed

Mentally ill people in prisons are being failed

Difficulties facing mentally ill prisoners are not news to those working on the front lines

Thu, 12 Feb, 2026

Official Opening of the Central Mental Hospital, Portrane

Irish Examiner view: Failing at the most basic of expected standards

Patients at state-of-the-art hospital urged to wear warm clothes due to heating system faults

Thu, 12 Feb, 2026

Minister to publish report into children’s mental health care in north Kerry within two weeks

Minister to publish report into children’s mental health care in north Kerry within two weeks

Minister of state Mary Butler will also visit Kerry in the next 10 days

Wed, 11 Feb, 2026

Brother of man who died by suicide calling on government to establish mental health A&Es

Brother of man who died by suicide calling on government to establish mental health A&Es

Joe Loughnane's brother, Adam, died two hours after he presented himself as suicidal in the waiting room of the A&E at the University Hospital Galway

Tue, 10 Feb, 2026

Boy with smartphone indoors. Preteen boy using a phone checking social media. Concept of children using the smartphone

After 23 years of Safer Internet Days, are children any safer?

Governments say the era of self-regulation is over, but until we tackle the 'launch first, figure out the harm later' thinking, nothing will change, writes Alex Cooney of CyberSafeKids

Tue, 10 Feb, 2026

Young Girl In Bedroom Worried By Bullying Text Message

Half of children aged 8-12 at risk online with no parental restrictions, survey finds

CyberSafeKids says many children are exposed to the risk of engaging with strangers as it launches its 'Same Rules Apply' campaign

Tue, 10 Feb, 2026

Using mobile phone

Text helpline sees record number of struggling people make contact

Text service sees spike in conversations about housing problems and loneliness

Sun, 08 Feb, 2026

Family of Cork man who died in prison to feature in documentary on psychiatric care

Family of Cork man who died in prison to feature in documentary on psychiatric care

Andrew Gearns was suffering distressing delusions about being stabbed and had some six risk factors for suicide

Fri, 06 Feb, 2026

File Photo Minister for Health Leo Varadkar will launch the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill which sets out to reduce the damage tha

Government has no plans to raise minimum unit price for alcohol

Measure was first introduced in 2022 in a bid to reduce serious illness and death from alcohol consumption

Thu, 05 Feb, 2026

Waitress Serving Drinks To Group Of Friends Sitting At Table In Pub Garden Enjoying Drink Together

S Colin Sheridan: Saying please and thank you is common courtesy — but let’s draw the line at AI

Having been put in his place by his daughter (something all parents will recognise) Colin Sheridan figures we should err on the side of kindness and courtesy

Sat, 31 Jan, 2026

Teenager at mental health office

Number of teenagers with mental health issues attending drug addiction services 'through the roof'

Dual diagnosis and ADHD comprise large cohort of adolescent treatment cases, Dáil committee told

Fri, 30 Jan, 2026

Sad girl in hooded top, sitting on a window ledge with head in hands in despair

One in 12 teens aged 15-19 have attempted suicide

"In a typical classroom of 25 senior-cycle students, five will report poor mental health, three will have self-harmed multiple times, and two will have attempted suicide..."

Fri, 30 Jan, 2026

Government turns to TikTok to highlight risks of cosmetic surgery abroad

Social media firms have 'too much discretion' over children's online safety with rules 'playing catch-up'

The Ombudsman for Children’s Office will tell the Oireachtas Children’s Committee the current legal framework to hold tech giants to account does not yet provide a 'clear, predictable' regulatory environment that makes sure online platforms fully respect children’s rights

Thu, 29 Jan, 2026

Photo of Sad girl looking out of window

Parents' fight for mental health services for their children 'wears you down and burns you out'

Oireachtas health committee heard parents of children with mental illness face huge distress in trying to access services and support

Wed, 28 Jan, 2026

Jigsaw sees 23% surge in demand as youth mental health waiting lists grow

Jigsaw sees 23% surge in demand as youth mental health waiting lists grow

Referrals to youth mental health service Jigsaw rose sharply last year, stretching staff capacity and driving longer waits in some counties

Wed, 28 Jan, 2026

Middle aged asia people old mom holding hands trust comfort help young woman talk crying stress relief at home. Mum as friend lo

'Parents of children with suicidal thoughts or who are self-harming being turned away from Camhs'

Families for Reform of Camhs will hear that families turning to hospital emergency departments to try and get urgent help

Tue, 27 Jan, 2026

Daughter looking a phone and ignoring her mother

Social media use 'an increasing concern' for parents, says helpline

Parentline said calls referencing anger and aggression continue to dominate their helplines

Tue, 27 Jan, 2026

Paschal Donohoe resignation

TD tells AI minister X has 'lied' to her about disabling Grok's nudification function

TD Paul Murphy told Niamh Smyth today: 'I just got someone in my office, with my consent, to undress me (using Grok).'

Tue, 27 Jan, 2026

Young girl relax with her smartphone on a sofa

French lawmakers vote to ban social media use by under-15s

Legislation, which also bans mobile phones in high schools, would make France the second country after Australia to take such a step

Tue, 27 Jan, 2026

Extremist views widespread in England's classrooms, say teachers

One in three pupils in disadvantaged schools missing a month or more of class, ESRI finds

New ESRI analysis shows chronic absenteeism remains entrenched in disadvantaged and special schools despite years passing since Covid

Mon, 26 Jan, 2026

Sad girl in hooded top, sitting on a window ledge with head in hands in despair

Urgent need for child psychiatrists in hospital paediatric units, experts warn

Acute paediatric mental health admissions 'not recorded or regulated'

Sun, 25 Jan, 2026

Kids Having Fun

Jess Casey: Being a gifted child is no advantage in our education system

Education specialists and the mother of a 'twice-exceptional' child explode the myth that 'the bright kids in the class will be fine by themselves'

Sun, 25 Jan, 2026

Mick Clifford: Why the Enoch Burke saga is bigger than one teacher or one school

Mick Clifford: Why the Enoch Burke saga is bigger than one teacher or one school

The Enoch Burke case highlights legal uncertainty, policy paralysis and how culture-war politics risk eclipsing students’ real needs

Sun, 25 Jan, 2026

schoolgirl with headache stands at the blackboard

More than 300 children added to mental health service waiting lists in two months

Figures from the HSE confirm that 4,375 children were on waiting lists for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs) at the end of November

Fri, 23 Jan, 2026

Move!

Richard Hogan: Learning to cope with being ‘triggered’

Whenever I see a person in a shop overreacting to the shop assistant that isn’t moving quickly enough, or someone raging in traffic, all I see is the hurt little child that felt unseen or abandoned

Wed, 21 Jan, 2026

Opening of Inquest into deaths of Conor, Darragh and Carla McGinley

Complaint lodged over handling of evidence in Deirdre Morley's trial for her children's murder

Andrew McGinley has lodged the complaint on four grounds, including one which covers issues he has around what medication Deirdre Morley was taking when she killed Conor, 9, Darragh, 7, and Carla, 3

Mon, 19 Jan, 2026

Boy with smartphone indoors. Preteen boy using a phone checking social media. Concept of children using the smartphone

Grok app abuse is 'mild compared to AI girlfriend sites'

'AI girlfriend' websites ‘actively advertised to teens and pre-teens’

Mon, 19 Jan, 2026

Sad boy

New report reveals 'awful' and 'frightening' cases of severe child neglect and sexual assault

The Child Law Project, which reports on child protection proceedings, has published 77 new case reports to detail the kinds of cases that come before the courts

Mon, 19 Jan, 2026

Terry Prone: Should we burn books after finding out the author is a fraud?

S Terry Prone: Should we burn books after finding out the author is a fraud?

t’s a tough time to be a publisher... and a reader

Mon, 19 Jan, 2026

School attendance figures

Parents raise alarm at repurposing of special classes

Re-classification of early intervention classes as autism classes is raising concerns, writes Education Correspondent Jess Casey

Mon, 12 Jan, 2026

Gardaí investigating suspected murder-suicide to ask HSE service about father's state of mind

Gardaí investigating suspected murder-suicide to ask HSE service about father's state of mind

Gardaí are examining contact with mental health services and Tusla as part of a wide-ranging investigation into the child’s death

Fri, 09 Jan, 2026