ONE IN FIVE young adults aged 19-24 and one in six adolescents aged 11-13 were experiencing mental disorder at the time of a study by the Royal College of Surgeons.
The RCSI’s also found that one in five young adults have had thoughts about suicide.
The report was compiled on information from two separate studies from a total of 1,400 adolescents and young people from the north county Dublin and Kildare areas.
Concerns are also raised about the misuse of alcohol and drugs among young adults with 75 per cent meeting lifetime criteria for binge drinking.
Over 1 in 5 met criteria for a diagnosable substance use disorder over the course of their lives and 1 in 20 met criteria for an alcohol use disorder at the time of the study.
The report was launched this morning with by Minister of State with responsibility for Mental Health Kathleen Lynch who said that there is a collective duty among society to create a culture where young people do not not hesitate to seek help:
The fundamental solution to meeting mental health needs, regardless of age, lies in effective partnerships where professionals, service users, families and the wider community work together. Obviously, the Government will continue to play its part in terms of promoting policies, services and investment for this important sector.
Youth mental health lecturer from the University of Melbourne Professor Pat McGorry was also speaking at the launch and said that specialist services are needed in this area:
“These young people do not fit well into the current adult services, ” he said. “Without access to appropriate support services at the right time, a young person’s chances of operating and functioning well in society as adults are severely limited.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say