The Covid-19 pandemic is having a major impact on mental health nationwide and has added “enormous strain to an already fragile mental health service”, the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland (CPI) has warned.

It has just published the results of a survey of 180 psychiatrists, which examined the impact of Covid-19 on mental health between June and December 2020. This was compared to the first half of 2020

The survey revealed a major increase in mental health referrals and relapses during this period.

When compared to the first half of 2020, 36% of psychiatrists reported a significant increase in referrals for secondary mental health services during the second half of the year. Some 30% also reported a significant increase in emergency interventions.

When it came to patients experiencing a relapse of their mental illness, 28% of psychiatrists reported a significant increase in such cases.

Some 27% reported a significant increase in new referrals or relapses related to self-harm or suicidal ideation, 24% reported a significant increase in new-onset depression, while 39% reported a significant increase in generalised anxiety.

The survey also found that 23% of psychiatrists felt that the “lethality” of self-harm methods had increased over the last year, while 36% felt that the complexity of self-harm presentations had increased.

Some 65% said they themselves had suffered decreased wellbeing as a result of the pandemic, while 79% expected their workload to increase in the coming months.

Commenting on the survey, consultant psychiatrist and CPI president, Dr William Flannery, pointed out that it does not cover the third lockdown that began in January 2021, “so we can assume the figures it reveals have worsened in recent months”.

“Even then, the figures we have for this survey starkly highlight the very serious impact which Covid-19 had on the mental health of the community through 2020. The pandemic has added enormous strain to an already fragile mental health service and there is little appreciation at a policy level for how serious the situation now is on the ground,” he said.

He called for increased funding and resources “before it is too late for thousands of people under serious, and in many cases, life-threatening strain”.

“This is an unsustainable situation at present. The Government can no longer afford to merely pay lip service to an issue which is affecting every family in the country. The stakes are too high and the cost to people’s lives is too great,” Dr Flannery added.