Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 December 2020
90. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the nature of the correspondence his Department has received from organisations, charities, volunteer groups and NGOs which warn of an increase in mental health issues and suicide rates since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. [42445/20]
View answerOver the last few months, correspondence has been received by the Department of Health in relation to the impact of Covid-19 on mental health. Some correspondents have expressed concern over a potential increase in self-harm, suicide and increased anxiety in the general population.
While early information suggests that there has not been a significant increase in self-harm and suicide figures, this is an area that the Department of Health will continue to monitor. It should be noted that the most recent year for which we have confirmed suicide figures is 2016, as coroners' reports and late registrations must be included. Provisional figures for 2019 are available.
I am aware, however, that traffic to online counselling sites has increased.
This is the case, for example, with MyMind, which is a HSE partner NGO providing online counselling sessions. Funding of €2.2m has been provided for 2020 to ensure that we can meet this increased demand through MyMind and a number of other providers.
It is important to promote the availability of these services. In this regard, the HSE has, since October, conducted an awareness campaign, through radio advertisements, directing people who need services to yourmentalhealth.ie and the mental health information telephone line 1800 111 888.
I recognise that the Covid pandemic may increase anxiety levels among the general population. The Government campaigns, “In this Together” and “Keep Well”, which encourage and offer practical advice on keeping our physical and mental health well, have helped to deal with this issue. In this regard, the results of the recent Amarach tracker survey, which measures emotional well-being, showed slight improvement in terms of anxiety, from 40% in October to 31% at end-November.
We do not yet fully understand the impact of Covid-19 on mental health, the extent of subsequent supports that may be required and how this will affect longer term demand for services. However, the HSE already has a range of proactive responses for any rise in service need. The Department and HSE continue to plan for any surge in demand as it arises and as services return to normal provision and capacity, subject to public health advice.
