Mental health impacts of COVID-19 in Ireland and the need for a secondary care mental health service response

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health emergency, the scale, speed and nature of which is beyond anything most of us have experienced in our lifetimes. The mental health burden associated with this pandemic is also likely to surpass anything we have previously experienced. In this editorial, we seek to anticipate the nature of this additional mental health burden and make recommendations on how to mitigate against and prepare for this significant increase in mental health service demand.

Automated summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a global health emergency like never before, which is expected to have a significant impact on mental health. The editorial aims to anticipate and provide recommendations on how to cope with this increased demand for mental health services.