PRESS RELEASE: Youth mental health needs in Ireland are rising, and those seeking help are in higher distress – Irish Researchers tell leading global conference

Ian

Thursday, 27 March 2025

Researchers from Jigsaw, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health, are presenting this week to a global gathering of researchers on youth mental health.

As part of this, Irish researchers presented insights from Jigsaw’s National Programme of Early Intervention Youth Mental Health from 2017 to 2022.

Some key findings include:

Youth mental health needs are rising. Between 2017 and 2022 referrals to Jigsaw steadily increased.
Young people who are seeking help are in higher distress. Anxiety remains the top reason for referrals, but overall distress is rising.

Jigsaw researchers are also presenting on effective strategies that make youth mental health care work at scale, how live chat services are reaching unique and critical groups, and how ‘peer-support’ helps young people and how to develop such services.

The 7^th International Conference on Youth Mental Health is taking place in Vancouver, Canada this week and is organised by the International Association for Youth Mental Health (IAYMH).

Entitled ‘Turning the Tide: Creating a global blueprint for prevention and integrated care in Youth Mental Health’, the theme of the conference is to focus on the actions needed to halt the global trend of deteriorating youth mental health.

Dr Jeff Moore, Director of Research & Evaluation at Jigsaw said:

“Mental health accounts for 45% of the total disease burden for young people aged 10-24 and is the leading cause of disability for youth. Yet, despite overwhelming evidence, youth mental health remains chronically underfunded globally, neglected, and even denied in some circles.

“In 2019, the My World Study II UCD Youth Mental Health Lab & Jigsaw – The National Centre for Youth Mental Health found an alarming rise in anxiety and depression among young people in Ireland. In 2024, The Lancet Psychiatry Commission on Youth Mental Health confirmed this trend on a global scale linking the decline to global mega-trends such as financial insecurity, climate change, unregulated social media, and rising loneliness.

“This week, global experts, policymakers, and—most importantly—young people themselves are gathering in Vancouver for IAYMH 2025: “Turning the Tide—Creating a Global Blueprint for Prevention and Integrated Care in Youth Mental Health.”

“But this isn’t just another conference. It’s a turning point.

“IAYMH isn’t about talking—it’s about action. It’s about shifting from crisis mode to prevention, from treating symptoms to addressing root causes, and from fragmented systems to truly integrated care that meets young people where they are.

“The conference will highlight the growing evidence for early intervention—reaching young people before crisis hits can change the trajectory of their lives.

“We’ve seen this before in healthcare. When it comes to heart disease, we don’t debate whether to focus on prevention or intervention—we do both. We promote exercise and healthy habits while also ensuring timely medical treatment. The same applies to cancer, where screening and early detection go hand in hand with advanced treatment options. Yet in mental health, we often find ourselves caught in the debate between prevention and intervention, as if they are opposing choices. The reality is, we need both. By identifying issues early and providing enhanced primary care for young people aged 12-25, we can prevent more severe and lasting problems down the road.

“So why, in mental health, do we still wait until young people are at breaking point?”

Notes to the Editor

Links to abstracts on Irish research and their sessions at IAYMH.