On World Mental Heath Day, two young mental health advocates say they hope today’s Budget delivers more funds for services in the sector.
Aoibhe Smyth, 17, from Dublin and Dylan Kelly, 18, from Limerick, are volunteer youth advocates with Jigsaw, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health.
“My message to the Government would be that young people want to be heard, want to be included. We want to see the Government prioritising mental health and early intervention,” explained Leaving Cert student Aoibhe.
“The issues that I see most often among people my age are young girls comparing themselves to influencers which can often lead to eating disorders. I also see a huge increase in depression and people turning to alcohol and drugs to deal with this, which is so hard to see.”
Dylan is studying counselling and psychotherapy at the Irish College of Humanities and Applied Sciences (ICHAS).
He said: “Mental health is just an ever-growing problem, considering the cost-of-living crisis too. People my age are starting college and their choices for the future are so limited. It’s disheartening and discouraging for them. It’s impossible to get accommodation because of how expensive it is.
“People my age are dealing with a lot of anxiety. They are struggling to understand where the future is going and the news is so negative. There’s a lot of anxiety around that.”
Jigsaw is one of several mental health organisations which claim a combination of lack of funding and increased demand has led to Ireland’s mental health support services being more stretched than ever before.
Last year it offered its highest number of appointments to young people, whilst also receiving its second highest ever number of referrals.
“It’s quite ironic that Budget day falls on World Mental Health Day,” Aoibhe said. “It will be good to see if they even mention it because obviously it’s going to have some effects on people. I want them to show young people that they care. I want them to do their research because I often think they haven’t got a clue what mental health is or how much the young people of Ireland are suffering.”
Organisers say World Mental Health Day is about raising awareness of mental health and driving positive change.
The theme for 2023, set by the World Foundation of Mental Health, is ‘Mental health is a universal human right’.