One in four Irish people say their mental health worsened during pandemic - survey

One in four Irish people say their mental health has deteriorated during the pandemic, and one in five say their general health has declined, according to a survey published today by Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) University of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The survey, conducted by Behaviour and Attitudes on behalf of RCSI, also found that the Irish public continued to place higher trust in healthcare professionals over other health information sources, and that the level of trust placed in them was increasing.

The findings were published as the university launches its 2021/2022 RCSI MyHealth virtual series which will seek to equip people with the tools to take better care of their own health and well-being.

Some 73% of survey respondents completely trusted the information shared with them by healthcare professionals, up from 61% in 2019, when this survey was last undertaken.

Just 7% completely trusted the health information they found online, and 3% completely trusted heath information shared on social media.

The survey was conducted from May 13-28, with a sample size of 1,000 adults, aged 16 and above. The first such survey was undertaken in 2019, and provided a benchmark for the findings of the 2021 survey.

Learning to live well as we emerge from the pandemic will be the main theme of the first three lectures in the 2021/2022 RCSI MyHealth virtual series, details of which can be found at rcsi.com/MyHealth21.