HSE urges people in Ireland to seek support on World Mental Health Day

Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) urged people finding things difficult to seek support on World Mental Health Day, 10 October. The appeal came as the service reported use of its free online therapy and men’s counselling programmes, while a recent Aware survey described financial pressure and barriers to seeking help among adults in Ireland.

Brian Higgins, the HSE’s assistant national director of adult mental health, said free supports were available and people did not have to face difficulties alone. He said a conversation, a phone call or telling someone where they could get help could make a difference. The HSE directs people to Yourmentalhealth.ie for information on supports available across Ireland and online.

How many people have used the HSE’s online supports?

The HSE told RTÉ News that around 6,000 people had used its free online therapy service so far in 2026. More than 40,000 people had accessed its cognitive behavioural therapy programmes since the service launched in 2021, according to the health service. Those figures describe use of the services. The RTÉ report did not provide clinical outcome data showing whether users’ symptoms improved.

The HSE also highlighted a men’s mental health initiative launched just over a year before the 10 October report. It offers free counselling online or face to face to men aged 30 to 50, an age group the initiative aims to reach. The HSE said more than 8,200 men had made contact since its launch and that 24,000 counselling sessions had been delivered. The report did not give waiting times, a treatment completion figure or clinical outcomes for the initiative.

What Aware’s 2026 survey found

Aware’s 2026 national survey offers a separate view of reported experiences. Amárach Research conducted the online survey among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults across Ireland in August and September. Aware reported that 61% of respondents believed they had experienced depression at some point in their lives, up from 53% in its 2024 survey. The share reporting a confirmed diagnosis was 21% in both years. A belief that one has experienced depression is distinct from a confirmed diagnosis.

The survey found that 19% of respondents reported an anxiety disorder diagnosis, including 25% of those aged 35 to 44. A further 11% believed they had an undiagnosed anxiety disorder. Among respondents who said they experienced depression or anxiety, 16% reported attending regular psychotherapy and 18% said they had joined a mental health education programme. Those percentages describe respondents’ answers, rather than a clinical assessment of the population.

Financial pressure and barriers to seeking help

Money was the most commonly cited factor negatively affecting wellbeing in Aware’s survey, named by 54% of respondents. Family responsibilities were cited by 33% and relationships by 32%. Among respondents reporting depression or low mood, 71% agreed that it made going to work or handling other responsibilities difficult. These answers show what participants reported about their circumstances; they do not establish that financial pressure caused a particular mental health condition.

Aware said one in five respondents who reported depression or anxiety had not yet reached out for support. Among those who had not sought help or had waited a long time, 34% cited shame or embarrassment as a reason for the delay. The finding provides context for the HSE’s appeal to reach out, but the survey does not measure whether the appeal will change help-seeking behaviour.

The available figures leave practical questions unanswered. RTÉ’s account did not link to underlying HSE administrative data or establish whether every service count represents a unique person. Neither the service figures nor Aware’s self-reported survey results establish how quickly people can access care or how effective the programmes are. Readers can find the HSE’s account in RTÉ’s report and Aware’s survey findings on Aware’s website.