The recovery approach provides a key organising principle underlying mental health policy throughout the English speaking world with endorsement by agencies such as the World Health Organisation. In Ireland, personal recovery is one of the quality markers identified by users of mental health services and has become central to national mental health policy.

The aim of this study was to explore the implications for mental health services and professional practice arising from a structured investigation of what personal recovery means for people using specialist mental health services and the extent to which services support their individual recovery.

Ten service user participants in a service initiative were assessed using a novel measure based on an empirically based conceptual framework of recovery. The INSPIRE determines the level of recovery promoting support received from mental health staff and the quality of the supportive relationship as perceived by individual service users.

A consistent pattern of beliefs about recovery in keeping with national guidelines and the international literature was apparent. All respondents indicated that support by other people was an important part of their recovery with high levels of support received from mental health professionals. There was less consistent endorsement of the quality of relationships with professionals and recovery-oriented practice as perceived by participants.

The findings are highly relevant to the development of recovery focused, clinically excellent services. Further work is needed to improve the process of translating recovery guidance into mental health practice.

Burnout has been associated with medical errors and low levels should be considered an indicator of service quality. This study examined the level of personal, work and client-related burnout in medical, other clinical and non-clinical staff in an adult community mental health service.

An anonymous study-specific questionnaire was designed and circulated to all staff with an explanatory document. The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory was used as a validated measure of burnout, with high levels reflecting high rates of stress and burnout. Further questions were added from Maslach Burnout Inventory and effort–reward imbalance index. Information on demographics, job satisfaction, turnover intention, feeling valued and effort/reward balance was gathered and analysed.

The overall response rate was 47.4% (63/133), of whom 43 were clinical staff. Overall levels of burnout were low and similar across staff type, with only 30.1% showing moderate levels of burnout, and none in the ‘high-burnout’ category. All staff displayed positive disposition towards patients, with lower client burnout, as compared to personal and work-related burnout. All medical staff felt valued in their work, with lower rates in the other groups (48.7% of non-medical clinicians and 58.3% of non-clinical staff).

Relatively low levels of overall burnout were reported among clinical and non-clinical staff working in our adult mental health service. These rates are similar to the levels identified in a national study of burnout in Irish hospital doctors but lower than the levels found among consultants in Irish child and adolescent mental health services.

The Health Service Executive National Clinical Programme for Eating Disorders (NCPED) launched a Model of Care for Eating Disorder Services in Ireland in 2018. Currently, one adult and two child and adolescent eating disorder services are operational out of a total of sixteen recommended. The three objectives of this paper are to describe the early (1) referral pattern, (2) level of service activity and (3) the level of service user satisfaction.

Monthly submitted service activity data from each service to the NCPED between March 2018 and October 2020 were retrospectively analysed. One hundred and fifty-nine carers and service users completed an experience of service questionnaire (ESQ). A descriptive analysis of referral pattern, level of service activity and ESQ was performed. A thematic analysis was performed on three qualitative questions on the ESQ.

There was substantial referral numbers to eating disorder services by 18 months (n = 258). The main referral source was community mental health teams. The majority (n = 222, 86%) of referrals were offered an assessment. The most common age profile was 10–17 years of age (n = 120, 54.1%), and anorexia nervosa was the most common disorder (n = 96, 43.2%). ESQ results demonstrate that most service users were satisfied with their service, and the main themes were carer involvement, staff expertise, therapeutic alliance and service access.

This preliminary service activity and service user satisfaction data highlight several issues, including trends when setting up a regional eating disorder service, potential pitfalls of pragmatic data collection and the need for adequate information-technology infrastructure.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the levels of possible internet addiction, gaming addiction, gambling addiction and associated mental health difficulties in a secondary school population in Ireland.

An online survey containing questions related to internet addiction, gaming addiction, gambling addiction and associated mental health difficulties was administered to secondary school adolescents in Ireland. Participants were self-selecting and answered questions on the characteristics of each topic and screening questionnaires for addiction to each behaviour, as well as their respective effects on mental health.

A total of 234 children participated in the survey (156 males; aged 12–18 years; average age of 14.2 years; S.D. 1.60). Internet addiction as assessed using the Chen Internet Addiction Scale was present for between 11.5% and 22.6% and levels of gaming addiction as assessed using by the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form was present for between 0.5% and 1.6%. Weak positive correlations were found between time spent on the internet and time spent gaming with internet addiction and gaming addiction, respectively. There were weak positive correlations between higher internet addiction scores, higher gaming addiction scores, and increased depression and anxiety scores. Using the South Oaks Gambling Screen–Revised for Adolescents, two participants were classed as ‘at-risk’ for gambling addiction and one participant was classed as a problem gambler.

The present study examined behavioural addictions and their effects on mental health on a self-selecting sample of schoolchildren at two schools in Ireland. A low number were identified as being at risk or problem gamblers.

To assess the prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms 2 years after the COVID-19 acute phase and to identify biobehavioral risk factors.

This 2-year prospective study assessed adult individuals with COVID-19 via face-to-face interview and laboratory testing at onset, and via telephone interview at 2-year follow-up. Data collected included COVID-19 severity and management at onset, as well as depression, anxiety, insomnia, cognitive failure, and fatigue at follow-up using standardized assessment tools.

Out of 1,067 screened COVID-19 patients, 230 completed the 2-year follow-up (female, 53.5%; aged>40, 80.9%; native Italian, 94.9%; medical comorbidity, 53.5%; chronic medication, 46.3%; moderate to severe COVID-19, 24.9%; hospital admission, 28.7%; ICU, 5.2%). At follow-up, 9.1% had anxiety, 11.3% depression, 9.1% insomnia, 18.3% cognitive failure, and 39.1% fatigue, of clinical relevance. Headache (OR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.01–6.16, p = 0.048), dyspnea (OR = 2.55, 95% CI = 1.03–6.31, p = 0.043), and number of symptoms (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.01–1.51, p = 0.047) at onset were associated with anxiety at follow-up; dyspnea at onset was associated with depression at follow-up (OR = 2.80, 95% CI = 1.22–6.41, p = 0.015); number of comorbidities at onset was associated with insomnia at follow-up (OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.06–2.08, p = 0.022); female gender (OR = 2.39, 95% CI = 1.14–5.00, p = 0.020) and number of symptoms (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.02–1.42, p = 0.026) at onset was associated with cognitive failure at follow-up; number of comorbidities (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.03–1.73, p = 0.029) and symptoms (OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.04-1.37, p = 0.013) and raised interleukin 6 levels (OR = 4.02, 95% CI = 1.42–11.36, p = 0.009) at onset was associated with fatigue at follow-up.

COVID-19 survivors, especially if female, with preexisting health problems, and with a more severe acute phase, may present with long-lasting neuropsychiatric sequalae, urging interventions to sustain recovery particularly in these higher risk individuals.

Hallucinations and delusions that occur in the absence of a psychotic disorder are common in children and adolescents. Longitudinal phenomenological studies exploring these experiences are notably lacking. The objective of the current paper was to explore the phenomenology and characteristics of hallucinations and delusions from early adolescence to early adulthood.

Participants were 17 young people aged 18–21 years from the general population, all of whom had a history of childhood hallucinations and/or delusions. Longitudinal data on the phenomenological characteristics and attributions of reported hallucinatory and delusional phenomena spanning nine years were explored using content analysis.

Hallucinatory and delusional phenomena were transient for two-thirds of the sample. The remaining one-third reported reoccurring hallucinatory and delusional phenomena into early adulthood. In those, two typologies were identified: (1) Paranormal typology and (2) Pathological typology. The former was characterised by hallucinatory and delusional phenomena that were exclusively grounded in subcultural paranormal or spiritual belief systems and not a source of distress. The latter was characterised by delusion-like beliefs that were enmeshed with individuals’ mood states and a source of distress. The perceived source, the subcultural context and how young people appraised and integrated their experiences differentiated the Paranormal and Pathological typologies.

Not all hallucinatory and delusion-like experiences are psychotic-like in nature. To reliably differentiate between pathological and non-pathological hallucinations and delusions, assessments need to explore factors including the phenomenology of individuals’ experiences, how people make sense and appraise them, and the subcultural contexts within which they are experienced.

The Vasarhelyi Method of Child Art Psychotherapy (CAP) is a largely understudied psychotherapeutic modality. This study aims to describe the Vasarhelyi Method of CAP and to describe a stakeholder survey of the views and attitudes of CAP placement supervisors towards CAP among various Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) teams nationwide.

A phone- and letter-based survey of 17 CAP placement supervisors who oversee CAP masters students attached to CAMHS teams was performed. A questionnaire was designed enquiring about their experiences with CAP in their clinic and their thoughts on the validity of CAP in various conditions/patient demographics. Participants received written correspondence and were asked to return the survey by post; this was followed up by a telephone call to complete missing surveys.

In all, 12 (70.6%) complete surveys were returned. Of the 12 respondents, all considered the CAP student to be a valuable member of the team. In total, 10 respondents (83.33%) stated they would make regular use of the service if it were made available to them. With regard to the therapy itself, nine respondents (75%) believed it was better for internalising symptoms than externalising symptoms. Depression, anxiety, attachment difficulties, trauma, deliberate self-harm and possible psychosomatic illnesses are the conditions viewed as receiving the most benefit from CAP. No gender difference was reported.

CAP is considered an effective modality and valuable addition to a psychotherapeutic repertoire. Further, more extensive studies are needed in this field.