CHRISTMAS CAN BE a wonderful time of year, but it’s also a very difficult period for a lot of people.

Loneliness, financial worries, bereavement and depression can lead to the festive season being a dreaded time for some people.

In 2014, the Samaritans received 15,006 phone calls from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day, with some 1,387 calls on Christmas Day.

A spokesperson for the organisation said:

We know that Christmas can be a really difficult time for lots of people – they might have lost someone, a relationship might have ended, or they might be struggling financially and feel under a lot of pressure to be part of the festive cheer.

“Like every other day of the year Samaritans will have volunteers ready to talk to them – 24/7.”

The spokesperson added that New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day can be a particularly busy time for the organisation as many people are “looking at where they are in their lives and being quite hard on themselves”.

If you need someone to talk to, here are some of the places you can contact:

The Samaritans can be reached 24 hours a day on 116 123 or via jo@samaritans.org.

Depression support group Aware‘s helpline number is 1890 303 302.

Suicide prevention and bereavement charity Console is available on 1800 201 890. It also runs a special farm and rural stress helpline at 1800 742 645.

Another suicide prevention line is run by Pieta House on 01 601 0000.

Are you a teenager? TeenLine Ireland is here to help 1800 833 634. Childline is also available for all those under the age of 18 at 1800 66 66 66 or by texting Talk to 50101.

Parents feeling the pressure over the next few days can call Parentline on 1890 927 277.

If you need to talk about sexual health or pregnancy, Cura can be reached on 1850 622 626 or Life can be contacted on 1850 281 281.

The Rape Crisis Network provides services to those affected by rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment or childhood sexual abuse. Its trained staff are available on 1800 778 888.