There’s an increase in the number of youth suffering from anxiety, new data reveals

Sometimes its the little things in life that make us feel anxious.

It has been revealed that anxiety is now the most common mental health problem among young people in Ireland. 39 percent of Jigsaw users suffer from anxiety, new data released by the National Centre for Youth Mental Health shows. This percentage has increased by 7 percent in the last three years. Other mental health issues included low mood, stress, sleep changes, anger, family problems, isolation, self-criticism, low self-esteem, and thoughts of self-harm. The charity also revealed they have seen new issues this year, including sense of identity and high expectations of self. Director of Clinical Governance at Jigsaw, Dr Gillian O'Brien said:

"There is a deepening sense of uncertainty amongst many young people we support in relation to their sense of identity and place in this fast paced, evolving world." "High expectations of self are one key driver of anxiety which can be compounded by the expectations of parents, teachers and society at large.”

However, Dr O'Brien did mention that there is a positive to the rise in anxiety in youths. She said:

"Young people today are so much more literate in terms of their mental health and wellbeing than they have ever been before." "As a society, our awareness of mental health has grown considerably and it has been normalised to such a degree that it’s now commonplace to encounter open conversations about mental health in all kinds of places."

Last year Jigsaw helped 4,300 youths in Ireland. There was an increase of 51 percent in the amount of young people using their service between May and December.