Nearly Half of Young Adults Cite Cost Blocking Mental Health Support

More than four in ten Irish adults aged 25 to 34 say cost stops them from getting mental health support, according to a new national survey released ahead of World Mental Health Day this weekend. The findings, according to coverage of the survey release, show a stark generational divide: just 12 per cent of people aged 65 and over name affordability as an issue, compared with the 44 per cent figure among 25 to 34-year-olds.

The gap matters because the share of all Irish adults naming cost as a barrier has grown. Nearly a third now cite it, up from roughly a quarter last year, according to the annual survey from Mental Health Ireland, the country's longest-established mental health charity. Conducted in September, the research polled 1,000 people aged 18 and over across Ireland about their attitudes toward mental health support and what gets in the way of looking after their minds.

Young adults face the steepest mental health support costs

Cost was far from the only obstacle the survey surfaced. About a quarter of respondents said they simply do not prioritise their mental health, while just over one in five were unsure how to access mental health support and nearly one in five said they lacked the time. The openness picture is equally uneven: only 39 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds described themselves as "very open" to discussing mental health, against 63 per cent of 55 to 64-year-olds, according to the charity's findings.

The broader numbers tell a story of people who want help but hesitate. Four in five respondents said they were open to talking about their mental health, yet one in three feared they would make things worse if they tried to support someone else, and more than a quarter doubted they would make a difference. The most common barrier to helping another person was uncertainty over whether they wanted help at all, cited by just over a third, followed by not feeling informed enough about mental health and not recognising the warning signs.

Money stress tops the list of pressures

Managing money emerged as the single biggest stressor, named by two in three respondents, ahead of health and wellbeing and work-related stress, the latter affecting half of those surveyed. The financial strain that keeps people from seeking mental health support is not unique to Ireland: a global RED C and WIN network survey found 93 per cent of Irish adults have experienced stress at some point, placing Ireland among the most stressed nations measured, with younger adults again the most exposed, according to the research.

What people already do to cope is strikingly low-cost. Spending time with friends and family topped the list at 58 per cent, followed by exercise at just under 58 per cent, with healthy sleep and diet habits close behind. Some four in ten said they regularly spent time in nature to manage stress, and Dubliners in particular said they felt time-poor — 29 per cent named time as a barrier compared with 23 per cent overall. Mindfulness was used regularly by nearly 18 per cent, while just over one in ten sought therapy.

The picture looks worse than a year ago. As reported by The University Times, the previous edition of the survey found one in five adults unsure how to improve their mental health, and the share of people doing nothing intentional for their wellbeing had doubled. Lower-income respondents were far more likely to report doing nothing at all — and barriers to mental health support have kept rising since.

What would make mental health support easier to reach

When asked what would help, low-cost mental health support was the top answer, named by more than four in ten people, ahead of better information about what is available and support based in their own communities. Mental Health Ireland chief executive Dr Lisa Cuthbert said the research showed people were already taking practical steps, from exercising to spending time outdoors, but added that "cost matters, especially for younger people, and time matters" — a line that sums up the survey's two biggest barriers in one breath.

For readers, the findings point to supports that do not cost a euro: walking in a park, a regular exercise routine, and time with people you trust all rank among the most-used coping strategies in the data. Community-based options, from peer support groups to the charity's own awareness campaigns, are built for exactly the gap the survey identifies. If paid mental health support feels out of reach, the survey suggests the first steps — nature, movement, conversation — are free. Read more on our Mind & Body page, and see also our coverage of why emotional distress stays hidden for young India.