When it comes to the mental health impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus, "the picture we're seeing is one where there's going to be an impact on mental health".
Our Chief Executive Officer, Paul Gilligan, joined Susan Keogh on Newstalk FM to discuss an emerging growth in demand for and uptake of mental health services in Ireland following the COVID-19 outbreak.
During the interview, Paul explored how worry about exposure to the virus while attending GPs or hopsitals may have been an obstacle for people seeking support for their mental health, while an underylying concern around stigma may also have prevented people coming forward.
What we saw over the last number of months is people expressing a lot of distress - but, also, remember, people feeling 'I don't want to let myself down, my family down, everybody's coping here, and I'm the one who's seeking help'... if you feel that everybody out there is pulling together to fight this pandemic and you're the one whose looking for help, that can be really difficult.
Mounting concerns
Paul also explained how our most recent Annual Stigma and Attitudes Survey revealed significant concerns around mental health brought on by the ongoing pandemic.
of parents are concerned about the long-term impact of the pandemic on their children's mental health
of respondents say this is the first time that they or a family member has experienced mental health difficulties
said they or a family member have sought help for a mental health difficulty during the pandemic
Seeking help
He drew attenion to our #NoStigma campaign, which aims to leave mental health stigma and discrimination behind.
We've tried to reframe that and say "look, if you have a mental health difficulty, it's actually a sign of courage to seek help".
