Lyons Tea, which has been fuelling the nation’s conversation for decades, has today announced the findings of new research* exposing the mindset of Irish residents when it comes to mental health. Amongst these findings is the discovery that just over half of adults (52%) say they always make time to speak with someone when they need to with a surprisingly high 48% saying they should make more time to talk.
Today is World Mental Health Day and for the second year running, Lyons Tea is partnering with Pieta House, the Centre for Suicide, Self-Harm Prevention and Suicide Bereavement Services, to encourage more people to talk openly about their mental wellbeing. The study of over 1,000 Irish residents, conducted independently by iReach Insights, has revealed that Ireland is divided when it comes to keeping matters of mental health to ourselves.
The state of the nation’s mental health
Ahead of World Mental Health Day, Lyons Tea has investigated the Irish public’s attitudes to their mental wellbeing. 40% of adults think about their mental health regularly, however just under one in five of those researched say that it’s not something that they are conscious of in their day to day life.
Amongst the factors cited by Irish residents as triggering mental health issues, were substance abuse (31%), trauma from the past (31%), loneliness (30%), loss of a loved one (26%), bullying at school or work (25%) or mortgage/rent problems (25%).
For those researched, embarrassment and not wanting to admit to having a problem have emerged as key barriers in preventing people from talking about their mental health. When asked to consider what would be crucial to getting people to talk, support from a loved one was cited as the main prompting factor for encouraging a conversation.
A third have confessed that they have never taken steps to mind their mental health, denoted in this research as participating in activities such as yoga, mindfulness sessions, counselling or meditation. Only 16% of people say that they frequently take steps to mind themselves, which is not that surprising given that a 22% of young adults in Ireland are reluctant to talk about any mental health issues that they may be experiencing.
Hones-TEA for thought
The survey revealed that of those who have never spoken about their mental health, 61% say that they don’t think they have any mental health problems to talk about. The remaining 39% cited various reasons for not speaking out, including not wanting to speak openly about problems, not knowing how to start the conversation or not wanting to worry someone else with their concerns.
A staggering number of adults across Ireland (77%) think more can be done to help people with mental health issues and when asked what that could be, just over two thirds of adults believe that increased awareness through advertising campaigns and government funding for charities could improve mental health services in Ireland.
Of those who have spoken to someone about their mental health, the overwhelming majority (96%) prefer to do so in person, with only 4% opting to speak to someone online. Most of these adults (84%) also agreed that making time to talk has helped them with how they were feeling.
Making ‘Time to Talk’ with Lyons Tea and Pieta House
Throughout October, Lyons Tea is supporting Pieta House to raise much needed funds and awareness for the organisation and the vital services it offers free of charge in 13 centres across the country.
The ‘Time to Talk’ campaign is rolling out nationwide with Pieta House taking over Lyons Tea Original 80s boxes for the month. These special takeover packs include contact information for anyone who feels they require the services of Pieta House and Lyons Tea will donate 10 cent to the organisation for every pack sold.
Paul Kelly, Marketing Director at Lyons Tea said: ‘Our World Mental Health Day research findings have shown that a lot of us are prone to keeping serious matters to ourselves but at Lyons Tea we want to raise awareness for mental health by encouraging people to take time to talk. The work that Pieta House does to help anyone who needs to speak to someone is astounding and we are delighted to be partnering with them for the second year of ‘Time to Talk’.
While this campaign will see a donation made on our behalf to Pieta House, what’s more important is that this partnership actively encourages people to open up and have conversations, even the difficult ones, whether it’s with a loved one or a professional counsellor. Throughout October and beyond, we want to encourage everyone to take some time from their busy schedules and make time to talk over a tasty cup of Lyons Tea’.
Pieta House CEO, Brian Higgins said, “We’re delighted to partner with Lyons Tea again this year. Lyons’ “Time To Talk” initiative is a fantastic campaign which generates awareness for mental health in Ireland, and reminds us all that something as simple as sitting down for a chat over a cup of tea can be the first vital step in improving our mental health. In fact, the humble cup of tea plays an important role in our own work at Pieta House. As soon as people are welcomed into our centres they are offered a cup of tea to help them to relax, open up and take the time to talk that we all need.
As a charity, we rely on the public’s generosity to ensure we continue to serve individuals and communities across Ireland and the funds raised through this partnership with Lyons will allow us to continue to do just that.”
For more details on the Lyons Tea and Pieta House ‘Time to Talk’ campaign, visit Lyons Tea on Facebook or @lyons_tea on Twitter and be a part of the conversation.
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