Loneliness after covid lockdowns blamed for spike in youth mental health referrals

'For lots of people, that reintroduction back into society was really tricky, so reestablishing relationships that were in place seems incredibly difficult,' said Jigsaw's Mike Mansfield. iStock

Jigsaw, the national centre for youth mental health, saw a 6% rise in referrals last year, with loneliness after the covid lockdowns blamed as one of the main reasons.

However, a change in how Jigsaw delivers face-to-face therapy to tackle waiting lists saw waiting times of up to 25 weeks in Cork last year slashed to five weeks now. Wait times in Tipperary have been cut to nine weeks.