Targeted approach needed to tackle youth mental health, Seanad hears

Young people are facing 'enormous stress and strain, being isolated from their friends, not having any sporting or cultural activities' during the pandemic

The Labour Party's Annie Hoey said feelings of isolation among young people living in rural areas have been exacerbated. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

The isolation, stress, and mental health issues experienced by young people must be addressed by the Government, the Seanad has heard.

Minister of state for mental health and older people, Mary Butler, said she is especially concerned about the rise in eating disorders among girls and young women.

Ms Butler said people's wellbeing has been severely impacted by the pandemic, but added that there a number of online services which people can access.

She said she is "appalled" by the fact that 5,000 children are now waiting for mental health services, but said 29 new Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) staff will be recruited to address this.

"I want to put in a targeted one-off approach for one year only to try and get down those 5,000 children with complex needs who need to be seen and need to be seen quickly," said Ms Butler.

Fianna Fáil's Lorraine Clifford Lee said children and young people are now facing "enormous stress and strain, being isolated from their friends, not having any sporting or cultural activities".

She asked the minister to bring that message back to her colleagues in the Department of Health and around the Cabinet table.

'Uncertainty'

"Now, the uncertainty around their future education and careers is hampering them," said Ms Clifford Lee.

Labour senator Ivana Bacik called for a €100m "catch up" scheme to help schools to provide extra support to at-risk children who she said have been massively impacted by the pandemic.

Party colleague Annie Hoey said some positives could be taken from the pandemic and pointed to a recent survey which found that 53% of all the rural young people asked said they would like to work from home or from a remote working hub in the future.

However, she added that "in an average year, young people living in rural Ireland, with little in the way of local public transport and an unreliable internet connection, could find themselves feeling isolated, and the survey showed that has been exacerbated over the past months".