The state of mental health services for young people is likely to feature at some stage in the general election campaign that has now formally got under way. If it does, the outgoing coalition parties may struggle to defend their record.
The Health Research Board last week published its annual report on the Activities of Irish Psychiatric Units and Hospitals. It paints a picture of a service operating at full capacity amid growing demand, particularly from young people in the wake of the pandemic.
The level of psychiatric admissions per head fell slightly in 2023, but the number of people admitted for the first time grew by 8 per cent, with the 20-24 years age group having the highest rate of admissions.
The report is of a piece with other surveys and reports showing increasing demand from young people for outpatient psychiatric and psychological services that have overwhelmed a chronically under-resourced system.
The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs) – a part of the HSE – remains unable to fill many psychiatric consultant posts on a permanent basis, and waiting lists for its services run into the thousands and remain a multiple of the levels before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sinn Féin has clearly decided to target the area of youth mental health in this election and published a strategy document in August that put the reorganisation of Camhs at its core. It highlighted the fact that almost two-thirds of mental health conditions emerge before the age of 25, yet there is no specific targeting of 18-25 year-olds for intervention. The cut off for Camhs is 18 years of age.
The Coalition parties will argue that they put significant resources into the area, including a 10 per cent increase in mental health funding next year to €1.5 billion, bringing the total increase over the lifetime of the Government to 42 per cent
These are substantial sums but voters tend to be more swayed by outputs – such as falling waiting lists – than financial inputs.