Number of people experiencing mental health difficulties quadrupled during pandemic, new research suggests

The survey found the number of female respondents who reported experiencing a mental health issue jumped from just 9% in 2017 to 43% during the pandemic. File picture

The number of people who reported experiencing a personal mental health issue has quadrupled during the Covid-19 pandemic, new research suggests.

The research, commissioned by See Change, an Irish organisation dedicated to ending mental health stigma, found 35% of respondents reported experiencing a mental health issue in the last 18 months – four times the total reported during a similar survey in 2017.