A new report on young people's mental health has found that a substantial number of adolescents suffer from problems which lead to self-harm, alcohol misuse, depression and anxiety.
According to the survey of almost 4,000 respondents, Irish adolescents generally have good mental health and report high levels of wellbeing, but some 333 or 9.1 per cent of the 15- to 17-year-olds surveyed reported a lifetime history of deliberate self-harm.
Girls were three times more likely to harm themselves than boys, and only 11.1 per cent of those who harmed themselves had been in contact with a health service before doing so, while only 15.3 per cent of those who inflicted harm on themselves contacted a health service afterwards.
According to a researcher, Ms Carolyn Sullivan of the National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF), which carried out the report, the study clearly indicates that there is "a hidden population" with serious mental health problems who do not come to the attention of the healthcare services.
The report found that the two most common motives for self-harm were "I wanted relief from a terrible situation" (78.9 per cent) and "I wanted to die" (60.9 per cent), although none of the respondents reported "I wanted to die" as a single motive for deliberate self-harm.
Boys were more likely to report that they "wanted to frighten someone" as a motive for harming themselves than girls (40.7 per cent vs 23.6 per cent), while boys were also more likely than girls to cite wanting to find out if someone really loved them as a motive (38.2 per cent to 25.8 per cent).
Respondents were 2½ times more likely to talk to a friend (38.7 per cent) than a family member (15.1 per cent) if they had thoughts of harming themselves and only a minority reported speaking to a teacher (2.5 per cent) or a health service (1.2 per cent), the study found.
Some 67.5 per cent of those surveyed via a questionnaire circulated to 39 schools in the Southern Health Board area reported having at least one drink a week, and of these the majority, 71.3 per cent, reported having up to five drinks in a typical week, with boys imbibing more than girls. The survey also found that 36 per cent of boys and 25.6 per cent of girls used marijuana, while 5.6 per cent of boys and 5.5 per cent of girls reported taking speed, and some 5.4 per cent of boys and 3.2 per cent of girls reported taking ecstasy. Heroin was taken by 2.8 per cent of boys and 1.0 per cent of girls.
According to Dr Ella Arensman, director of research with the NSRF, the study also highlights the need to consult with and involve young people in the planning, development and implementation of mental health promotion programmes and treatment options for adolescents.
The report also recommends ensuring that a school counsellor is available to all students, located in a private part of the school and easily accessed.
