“Perfect storm” pandemic for the mental health of older people, says the watchdog

Older people in Ireland are suffering a “perfect storm” of mental health sparked by the pandemic and an alarming shortage of services, the state mental health watchdog has warned.

The Mental Health Commission has criticized a “severe under-resource” of community mental health services and the lack of hospital beds for older people most severely affected by depression, dementia and anxiety.

In its latest report, the watchdog says there are currently 1.2 dedicated acute mental health beds for every 100,000 seniors in the country. Northern Ireland has eight times more.

Dr Susan Finnerty, the Commission’s inspector of mental health services and author of the report, said the lack of services, coupled with the outbreak of Covid-19, created “a perfect storm for the mental health of older people.”

“In addition to carrying the highest risk of mortality and morbidity from Covid-19, they also experience social distancing, isolation and a greater perception of the risk of death and disease,” he said. “Isolation is strongly linked to depression, anxiety and cognitive decline and reduces resilience factors such as self-esteem, a sense of purpose and feeling valued.”

About 15% of Irish adults aged 60 and over suffer from mental illness, including depression, dementia, anxiety, alcohol addiction and schizophrenia.

Question among the students

Meanwhile, the demand for mental health support at some universities has doubled as students struggle with isolation and the shift to online learning.

Professor Patrick Prendergast, dean of Trinity College Dublin, told an education committee in Oireachtas Thursday that the lack of personal contact with other students was affecting the mental health and well-being of many students.

“Personal contact is what students miss most. . . These are young students, aged between 18 and 20. It is a time in life when they should meet others, “he said.” We find there is a much greater need for psychiatric support and counseling. Our head of health care says the numbers with mental health problems have doubled. ” .

Earlier, a family doctor and coroner in Co Donegal said there is “a terrible problem” of suicide among young people, particularly men, in Ireland.

Dr Denis McCauley, who is chair of the Irish Medical Organization’s family physician committee, told the Oireachtas subcommittee on mental health that he has also seen an increase in suicides by young women this year.