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Mental health concerns are the biggest issue facing young people living in Ireland today, according to a recent poll. Depression and anxiety were cited by 68% of respondents aged between 12 and 18 years. A further 59% expressed having ‘fears and worries for the future’, with more than half saying ‘mental stress relating to school work and exam stress’ were the main contributing factors. 

This poll, carried out by Amarach to mark the 20th anniversary of Young Social Innovators, is a worrying indictment of the mental health of our young people. It mirrors what we are seeing in clinical and educational settings. In my practice, requests for help and support have increased by 300% in the last two years and the number of young people presenting with mental health problems in educational settings is also on the rise.