Teenagers slip through mental healthcare net

THERE is a ‘hidden population’ of Irish teenagers with serious mental health problems who are slipping through the healthcare net, according to a major report launched yesterday.

Reaching these troubled teens and prioritising youth mental health issues are among the main challenges facing the State, the Young People’s Mental Health report said.

The report was compiled following one of the largest studies of teen mental health in this country. It involved a survey of almost 4,000 students aged 15-17 in schools across Cork and Kerry.

It investigated a range of mental health issues and looked at how young people coped with difficulties in life.

The study found that, overall, the mental health of Irish adolescents is good.

They also reported high levels of “general well-being.”

However, the study also identified a substantial number of adolescents with significant mental health problems. Alcohol misuse, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and deliberate self-harm were among the main problems.

Some of the report’s key findings were:

Just over two-thirds of those surveyed reported having at least one drink in a week. Of those, just over 71% drink up to five drinks a week, with boys drinking more than girls.

A quarter reported serious personal, emotional, behavioural or mental health problems. Of these, only 17% received professional help.

Nearly 10% reported a lifetime history of deliberate self-harm, with girls being three times more likely to harm themselves than boys.

Only a minority of teenagers who harmed themselves had been in contact with a health service, 11% before and 15% after they harmed themselves.

The report, launched at a day-long conference in Cork yesterday, was compiled by the National Suicide Research Foundation in conjunction with the National Suicide Review Group, UCC’s Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, and the Southern Health Board.

It was launched by Tadhg Glavin, the Department of Education’s senior inspector in the southern region.

It is part of an ongoing international research project, the Child and Adolescent Self-harm in Europe (CASE) study, involving research centres in Belgium, Hungary, Norway, The Netherlands, Britain and a centre in Australia.

Helplines Childline: 1800 666 666

Samaritans: 1850 60 90 90

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