Cost putting troubled youths off getting help

Troubled young people are being put off getting professional help because they can’t afford the high costs, mental health experts warned today.

The study by Headstrong, the national centre for youth mental health, revealed almost two thirds of youths feel they are unable to cope with the problems they face.

Yet the study found they were not engaging with services, as they face long waiting times, fees and are unable to get help after-hours.

Dr Tony Bates, Headstrong founding director, said money was a big issue for young people.

“The cost of accessing primary care services is very off-putting to young people, very few of them are on the medical card,” he said.

“So cost is a big factor and particularly in disadvantaged areas,” he said.

The study – Somewhere To Turn to, Someone To Talk To – signalled out GP costs in particular, with one young person claiming it was cheaper to use drink to help sleep at night.

Dr Bates said a radical review of mental health services for young people was needed.

“We need a radical rethink of how we support our young people growing up in Ireland, which looks very different from the Ireland of previous generations,” he said.

“Mental health is the single biggest issue for young people – we need to listen to what they are saying and provide them with the appropriate support and services to meet their needs.”

The study also found that when a young person tries to get professional help they are faced with inaccessible and inappropriate services.

It said GPs, better placed than many other health professionals to help, were largely unable to carry out their role as the majority did not have specific training in mental health.

Professionals and youth leaders working with young people also claim to be unable to access specialist mental health services on their behalf.

And the report said that if kids do get into services, they are inappropriate to a young person’s needs.

Other findings in the report include:

:: Only 38% of young people report being able to cope with the problems they face.

:: Only 64% report having an adult available to them to talk through their problems regularly.

:: 47% of respondents report having been bullied at some point in their life.

:: 10% have had serious problems and have not sought professional help.

Headstrong, an independent organisation working with communities to improve young people’s mental health, proposed services and supports partner up across the country under a system known as Jigsaw.

Bairbre Nic Aongusa, director of the Office of Disability and Mental Health at the Department of Health, said efforts must be made to encourage young people to seek help early.

“We now have an opportunity as a country to change the way we respond to young people and their mental health by reducing the stigma and encouraging people to seek help early,” Ms Aongusa said.