Jigsaw
Search Jigsaw
Resources Anxiety Anger Self-harm

Month: July 2020

What are the mental health services for under-18s?

Posted on by Eve Donnelly

If you’re under 18 and having a difficult time, there are a few options to consider.

First, is there someone you can talk to about what’s going on? A member of your family or friend that you trust can be a good place to start. Or take a look at the articles here to help you figure out what you need. Sometimes this could be enough or can help you make sense of what you need and what you can do.

If you think you might need to get some support or advice from a professional, we’ve made a list of the mental health services available for young people under 18.

Which one is best for you depends on what you’re going through. Sometimes that initial conversation with a trusted adult helps identify what will help. Also, because of the law on consent, you will need to have a parent/guardian involved to get help from a lot of services and professionals.

So, the best first step is usually telling someone what’s going on for you. If you have a good enough relationship with a parent or guardian this can be a good place to start. If not, think about another adult you trust that you could talk to, like an aunt/uncle, older sibling or family friend.

In this article, you will find:

Webinar: Supporting young people to stay positive

Posted on by Eve Donnelly

We ran a webinar for parents on Monday, 27 April where two Jigsaw clinicians gave a presentation on supporting young people to stay positive and motivated. They then took questions from parents about what was going on for them.

The lockdown has gone on longer than any of us could have foreseen at the beginning and is now what people are calling the ‘new normal’. However, it can still feel far from normal particularly with things like school, college and work suspended, uncertain or over in some cases.

Keeping yourself and the young people in your life positive and motivated right now can take a bit of of extra work. Hopefully, this webinar covers useful tips for you to try at this time.

Webinar: Supporting your own mental health in lockdown

Posted on by Eve Donnelly

We ran a webinar for parents where two Jigsaw clinicians gave a presentation about supporting your mental health while social distancing. They then took questions from parents about what was going on for them.

The new measures can still throw up a lot of uncertainty and disappointment about plans that either have to postponed, or canceled. Keeping yourself and the young people in your life positive and motivated right now can take a bit of of extra work. Hopefully, this webinar covers useful tips for you to try at this time.

What is depression?

Posted on by Eve Donnelly

Depression is a term that is used in many different ways by different people. Commonly, people use the word depression to describe feeling sad, upset, or fed up.

Many of us describe things, such as news stories, as ‘depressing’. We may also describe ourselves as being depressed at different times in our lives and for different lengths of time.

Porn and mental health

Posted on by Eve Donnelly

As technology advances, the accessibility of porn has increased. We know that many young people in Ireland are consuming porn.

The recent My World Survey, a study of young people in Ireland, had relevant results on this. It found that almost two-thirds of young adults had watched pornography on the internet.

Looking forward to the end of lockdown

Posted on by Eve Donnelly

If someone told you last Christmas about an impending global pandemic, where people were encouraged to stay at home you would have thought it was science fiction. 

Faced with challenging times, we can look for different options to help. Sometimes it’s good to work out what we need in the moment and at that time for support. Other times it can be good to plan for things to look forward to, or work out what’s important to us for the future.

We asked some of our young volunteers around Ireland about what they were looking forward to and wanted to share some of these with you.

Family and friends

Unsurprisingly, a lot of our volunteers mention friends and family.

I’m looking forward to spending time with my family and friends after lockdown. Aisling O’ (18) Meath

Seeing my friends and going shopping. Amina Abdallgany (17) Meath

I am excited to see and spend time with my friends and family. Annemarie Driver (20) Meath

Going back to work, seeing my family and friends. Emily (18) Donegal

Seeing my friends. Daragh Nerney

Being able to go see my granny, friends and extended family members. Ruth O’Dea, Clare/Galway

Hugging my nieces and seeing my family and friends. Visiting my boyfriend whom I haven’t seen in over 4 months. Keith Judge (24) Dublin

Seeing my nana and giving her a hug. I saw her everyday after work and I miss that. Nicola (19) Dublin

I cannot wait to see my friends and family when this is all over! My godson was born the first week of lockdown so I am yet to meet him! This young volunteer has chosen to be anonymous.

Spending time with my friends. Yvonne (24) Limerick

I’m most looking forward to giving all my family and friends and big hug and spending time with them again. Mark (22) Dublin

The impact of parents’ mental health

Posted on by Eve Donnelly

A person’s mental health can affect those close to them. It can be difficult for a young person if one or more of their parents are struggling.

This might be because they’re worried about them, or because the parent is not able to do the usual stuff they do.

If this is something you’re going through, here is an outline supports and other ways to help.

Back To Top