‘One young boy said ‘I have 170 friends on Facebook’ - but he had no actual friends,’ psychiatrist says

Teenagers who are constantly communicating with their peers on phones may have hundreds of friends on social media but may still feel isolated, a consultant psychiatrist has said.

According to Dr Eimear McGuire, since the Covid-19 pandemic there had been “a spike” in the number of young people presenting with self harm and anxiety. “I asked one young boy how many friends he had and he said ‘I have 170 friends on Facebook’- but he had no actual friends,” Dr McGuire said.

The HSE psychiatrist who is attached to the Sligo-Leitrim mental health services also highlighted how alcohol and drug abuse are huge risk factors for mental illness and warned cannabis use was putting teenagers at risk of developing psychotic illnesses in later life.

“Cocaine is absolutely everywhere,” Dr McGuire said. “But not only cocaine. There is weed as well and we have a huge problem with that because people don’t see it as a drug – and actually the weed that is being used at the moment is 100 times stronger than it was 20 years ago.

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“Smoking it as young teenagers makes it much more likely that you will develop a psychotic illness later in life so it is a really huge problem. We need to be shouting about that, protecting young people.”

Dr McGuire, who recently addressed a health and wellbeing event hosted by Geevagh GAA club in Co Sligo, echoed the concerns of other speakers who warned about the prevalence of drugs throughout the country and the pressure social media was putting on teenagers.

Former Mayo All-Ireland winner Cora Staunton, who urged people of all ages to become involved in any form of physical activity to boost mental health, said she believed it was really tough for today’s young people having to grow up when there was so much pressure from social media to conform to an ideal.

[ Teenage anxiety and smartphones: Is the answer to ban social media? ]

“So much is expected of you,” said the GAA trailblazer who first played with the Mayo senior county team at the age of 13. Staunton said that even if she had difficult days at school, it was over at least until the next day when she came home, but now because of mobile phones “everything is 24/7″.

“I do worry for my nieces and nephews because it is a difficult world to be in. Everyone is expecting you to be something. You just need to be you. There is only one version of you,” she said.

The sportswoman said that because of a variety of apps everyone is trying to conform to an ideal, and there is no escape for any young person “getting grief on social media”, who suffered even in the privacy of their own bedrooms.

“It is so hidden. So many kids are suffering in silence because they don’t conform to what is normal – but everyone has a different form of what is normal,” Staunton said.

Having recently been appointed as performance coach for the senior Galway camogie squad, Staunton said she was struck by the low self esteem among many young women.

“I work with 36 girls. The biggest thing I found working with females is that they have the lowest self confidence and belief in themselves,” Staunton explained.

“These are girls that have won seven All-Stars, three or four All-Irelands. But the self belief and self confidence in most female athletes is very low.”

Anti suicide campaigner Frank Diamond also highlighted the impact of drugs on young people saying the issue of cocaine use in Ireland needed to be addressed.

“Cocaine is everywhere... Sadly within the GAA it is rampant,” Diamond said, adding that it was not just within the GAA but this was the sport he had a background in and was most familiar with.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can freephone the Samaritans 24 hours a day for confidential support at 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.

Alternatively, the contact information for a range of mental health supports is available at mentalhealthireland.ie/get-support.

In the case of an emergency, or if you or someone you know is at risk of suicide or self-harm, dial 999/112.