We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH services are seeing the impact the recession has had on children who were growing up during that period, the CEO of St Patrick’s Mental Health Services has said.
Speaking at the launch of his organisation’s new five-year strategy, Paul Gilligan said one in ten children will experience a mental health difficulty serious enough to require specialist care.
“Then when you add to that the type of factors that have occurred in Ireland over the last ten years, we know for example that more and more children are experiencing anxiety, because they’ve been through very difficult economic times as babies.
“They’ve learned the importance and integrated the importance of trying to achieve to make sure that they do well in their lives. That is not a criticism of family life or of parenting, that is the reality of living in Ireland in the year 2018.”
Part of the strategy for St Patrick’s over the next five years is an expansion of its child and adolescent mental health services. The organisation will also be investing in research into technology-based therapies and these are likely to tie into developments in mental health care for younger people.
Gilligan said there is a growing awareness around mental health issues and this has resulted in more people seeking help.
“Many will not require specialist care, the ones who do require specialist care need to get that care because otherwise they will end up experiencing major social difficulties in work, in school, family life,” he explained.
Many people will benefit from support and therapy provided in their own community, rather than through a specialist service, he said.
“This is not an Irish problem but there are special factors in Ireland in the last ten years that added the number of people experiencing mental health difficulties, there’s no doubt about that.”
He said the service will continue, as it has done for many years, to provide services for people who are suffering from addiction issues.
“The funding following addiction is difficult to secure and it’s always less than is required,” he said. It is significant, he said, that the State is now dealing with addiction primarily as a health problem, but it may take longer for societal stigma to dissipate.
“Yes, people have to take responsibility for their own recovery, but that’s the case in all mental health difficulties. We really do need to take a very serious look at the cost of treatment versus the cost if you don’t treat because it’s easy to take a punitive approach to the treatment of addictions without really looking at the social implications.
“The cost of treatment is far less than the impact of my difficulties on loss of employment, social issues etc,” he said.
“The economic argument is very simple, the difficulty is trying to remove the stigma and stigma comes in many different forms.
“It comes in terms of misunderstanding, in terms of discrimination but also in terms of believing that in some way these difficulties are someone’s fault, that it’s a social issue rather than a mental health issue and we need to address all of that through proper awareness-raising campaigns.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
I don’t know about this. Most people who grew up in the 80s had nothing. I’m not saying the last 10 years weren’t tough on people but was it worse than other recessions?
@Jane: not at all, but St. Pat’s, like other hospitals will use “research” like this in order to bolster their demand for extra budgetary resources. Nothing but a money game.
@Mr. H:
Nail – Head – Hit!
I love the ‘anxiety as babies’ claim – what were these kids doing – reading the Indo at 8 months !?!
@Mr. H: 100%. And don’t forget they’re private and need people to have problems in order to make money.
@Mr. H: I suppose you can’t blame them. In fairness they’re trying to do their best for their patients. If that means putting a certain spin on research it’s forgivable.
@Jane: TBH there should never be a spin put on research. They do a decent job to be fair but I’ve noticed an increased media presence over the last few years which is really just advertising. Lots of inflated egos amongst the staff.
@Michael Kavanagh: word was speeding all around the maternity wards…..” congrats it’s a boy….but whoaa there we better tell him about the recession/ share prices”
@Jane: yes in my opinion because ,we had nothing and owed nothing this time around people were deep in dept so when it hit it was a double whammy ,That’s my belief but it is in general I suppose there was less people involved in the previous recession
@Mr. H: hmmm and seemingly people like you will just ignore the realities of the society you are living in – where young children as young as 11 have commit suicide , where young girls as young as 14 have been murdered – and all you can do is sit on a keyboard dumping on the professionals who work in mental health services – who are warning that as many as 10% of young adult might need some help and try to being the issue to attention – but you can only reduce everything a money scam or a good moan – i hope you are proud of yourself.
Children pick up on their parents’ anxiety. I imagine that’s what should have been said!
As a father of three young children, I believe a major contributor to anxiety is the media and the growth of continuous news broadcasting. All platforms need to fill airtime with content, this results in repetition and exaggeration of issues and it ends up almost like brainwashing. This effects all consumers of the content, adults and children. My 7 year old checks the locks on doors and windows because he sees bad guys on the news and cannot sleep. He asks me about the No campaign posters and is worried. Hears about murders etc… none of this serves to improve anyone’s life. The news uses to be on three times a day and that was enough.
@FartyTowels: great point…im on the road from 7 till nine most mornings…its like an endless ” cycle” of doom/ regardless of which channel you choose.Now I get my ” fix” at 7 and go straight over to cds and audio books
@FartyTowels: i wouldn’t dare try tell you how to rear your children but exposing them to constant diet of news broadcasting is probably more a reflection of their fathers news watching habit and is something you might want to try cut out or at the very minimum vastly reduce – if thats really is the root cause of anxiety then it would seem a no brainer to try change.
@Dave Hammond: Dave I watch about 3 hours a week of tv. I do not watch RTE current affairs programmes anymore as they are poor and usually have an agenda. My kids are rarely exposed to these but they are occasionally as you know the tv may be left on and god forbid the six one news is on and they see something that upsets them.I never said they were constantly exposed, it does not take much for a young mind. I’m afraid you made an incorrect assumption.
@FartyTowels: no bother , if thats the case , then the major cause of anxiety for your kids is very unlikely to be the media consumption and the growth news broadcasting as you had indicated in your initial comment.
Recession is still on as foods and materials are fly high and wages are still on par with 2009/2010
FFG have the country destroyed..
Gap between haves and have nots grows annually.
Always ends in revolution.
@Willy Malone: are you comparing modern life to life before the French and Russian revolutions?
@Willy Malone: if you are comparing them you are really stupid
Will has a valid point , and there’s even economists that say there are economic markers that predict revolution , the Arab spring revolutions displayed same
https://thelawmarket.com/2016-revolution-probability-index-6c98594bb962
@Ibhar Mac Suibhne: no he doesnt and you can not compare the middle east to Ireland..apples and oranges
Kids on social media is more to blame rather than the recession…
St Pats has become great at releasing media statements like this, which is really just free advertising for them. They do a great good tbf but they are a private organisation and need customers… I mean patients.
Would it not be more likely that rising mental issues among children have to do with the fact most have smart phones by the age of 10 and live in an impenetrable social media bubble 24/7. This is not just an Irish phonomenon. The CEO of St Pats should focus on his job and not inject his own political ideology into his job.
Gone be the days when kids had to go down the mines or work in mills for 18 hours a day, now their Christmas present list is smaller they are anxious over this, gthoh
was wondering why the CEO of a league of Ireland club talking about kid’s anxiety. :)
“Children’s METAL Health? Michelle…you might want to change that?
He is seeing something first hand that many people have found in studies. Our newest generation are more individualistic and conservative than any generation since World War 2. They believe in looking after themselves, being financially secure, and thinking for themselves. They are rejecting collectivist ideas and wastefulness from society that were common in my generation.
have your say