Jigsaw, the leading youth mental health charity, has warned that the double-whammy of lack of funding and increasing demand is contributing to Ireland’s mental health support services being more stretched than ever before.
At the launch of their latest annual report, Jigsaw have highlighted new data that reveals the growing demand for its support. In 2022, Jigsaw’s community-based services offered their highest ever number of appointments to young people (36,360 ). This is in response to a consistent rise in the number of referrals that has seen an almost 70% increase since 2017.
Jigsaw has also continued to see significant growth in demand for its online services, with over half-a-million visits to jigsaw.ie in 2022, a 104% increase on the previous year, and increases in the numbers of Live Chat and email-based support sessions.
“If we are to respond to this growing demand, something has to give. The current levels of funding, received from the HSE and the public, are simply not enough to maintain existing levels of service, let alone support expansion into new areas or new locations. Increased funding for youth mental services must be made available in Budget 2024. Without it, our services, already stretched and under-resourced, will become overwhelmed.
“The past year has highlighted, once again, that mental health services and supports in Ireland are under significant pressure. A shortage of multi-annual funding for mental health is stifling ambition and the development of sustainable solutions that are needed now.
“At Jigsaw, we are here to make sure that young people get the help and support they need and deserve. So we are urging the government to prioritise investment now to provide the standard of mental health support that our communities and our young people deserve,” Dr Joseph Duffy, Chief Executive Officer at Jigsaw, stated.
“What is clear from our data is that we are working to maximum capacity. While there has been an increase in demand of 11% (from 2020 ), our ability to offer supports to tens of thousands of young people is up 21%. Worryingly, this is part of a wider trend reflected across Ireland’s mental health support services, and put simply, it is not sustainable,” Sarah Cullinan, Jigsaw’s Director of Service, added.
Jigsaw is concerned that, at a time when young people already face significant challenges to their mental health, growing pressure on mental health support services means that all too often young people are facing the additional anxiety of increasing wait times with limited support options.
