'Young men are poor at seeking help and admitting to themselves that they need help' Leitrim councillor

A Leitrim county councillor commented on a new study which showed that an increase in the rate of hospitalisations of youths aged 15-24 in Ireland for drug-related problems increased during lockdowns.

Speaking to the Leitrim Observer Cllr Paddy O'Rourke said that he thought the findings were "very alarming but not altogether surprising; I happen to be on the board of management of no fewer than five secondary level schools in County Leitrim and have been involved with Comhairle na nÓg so plenty of interaction with the cohort represented within this report which tells us the age group which swelled the ranks of those admitted to hospitals during and in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic was between 15 and 20 years of age."

The study by HSE healthcare professionals was carried out due to concerns that the pandemic and lockdowns had an impact on the level of substance use among young people.

Other studies suggested that the pandemic had exacerbated mental health challenges among young people.

He continued: "Reference is made to the parents of these youths struggling with their own issues and perhaps unable to offer the support necessary at time of crises for their sons and daughters and we also see males make up 71 percent of all hospital admissions during the period studied confirming men/young men are poor at seeking help and admitting even to themselves that they need some help. How we solve it has to come through education/information to help young people get involved in recreation hobbies and understand a quick fix offered by drug use will only exasperate their situation."

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The study analysed data on over 4,000 drug-related hospital admissions between 2017 and 2022 during periods of lockdown and during periods of non-lockdown and discovered that drug-related problems accounted for 3.81 per cent of all hospital admissions during lockdowns compared to 2.16 per cent at other periods.

They also showed the median rate of drug-related hospital admissions among 15-24-year-olds during the lockdowns was 23.8 per million per week compared to 18.2 per million per week at other times.

However, there was a slightly higher rate of hospital admissions for young people for alcohol-related problems in the control periods compared to the lockdowns.

The study showed the rate of admissions for youths with alcohol issues outside lockdowns was 17.6 per million per week compared to 15.8 during the hard lockdowns.

Cannabinoids had been used by 37 per cent of youths admitted to hospital for drug-related problems, with both cocaine and opioids having each been used by 32 per cent of patients.

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The study noted that the pandemic had significantly heightened stress, anxiety, depression and isolation among young people and claimed many families also faced financial and health challenges that increased stress levels which could have led to an increase in substance use.

It observed that parents, who were often dealing with their own struggles, had less capacity to closely monitor their children, while increased online time also exposed children and adolescents to “pro-substance messages.”

It recommended that further research should develop targeted strategies to mitigate the negative effects of substance misuse among young people, particularly during periods of social disruption.