Number of students seeking help for mental health problems doubles

THE number of students seeking help for mental health difficulties at an occupational therapy service for students more than doubled last year.

Unilink, a special service at Trinity College Dublin which supports students experiencing mental issues, released its five-year report revealing the service helped 107 students in 2008/2009 compared with 50 students in the previous year.

The majority of students were treated for depression. However, there was a sharp increase last year in the number of students with Asperger’s syndrome, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder seeking help.

Occupational Therapy lecturer Clodagh Nolan said the transition from secondary education into third level was difficult for a lot of students, but particularly so for those with a mental health problem.

“Not only is this their first time away from home, but they are managing their mental health for the first time themselves,” she said.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International Ireland (AII) is urging the Government to revise performance targets under its own reform blueprint (A Vision for Change) to take the new economic situation into account. AII, currently running a mental health campaign, recommended that particular focus should be given to addressing the human resource shortfalls that exist in relation to community-based mental health teams, and that new targets should take into account the recommendations of the McCarthy Report.

A spokesperson for AII warned that child and adolescent services are currently one of the most under-resourced areas within the mental health services.

In terms of staff numbers, the staffing deficits in child and adolescent community mental health teams are most visible in relation to nursing staff, psychologists, social workers, social care professionals, and occupational therapists.

However, teams are also noticeably under-resourced in terms of consultant-level posts and speech and language therapists, AII said.

According to figures published by the Mental Health Commission, overall there were 15 specialist mental health services teams at the end of 2008. However, based on the recommended ratios set out in A Vision for Change, this implied a shortfall of 29 teams.

At the level of individual specialist service, the gaps in team development are most evident in the case of substance misuse, eating disorder, intensive care rehabilitation and forensic services.