One in five young adults aged 19-24, and one in six children aged 11-13, were experiencing mental disorder when they took part in two studies on mental issues in Irish youth.

The report from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland also indicates that high numbers of young adults aged 19-24 are engaged in the misuse of alcohol and drugs.

More than 20% met criteria for a diagnosable substance use disorder over the course of their lives and one in 20 met criteria for an alcohol use disorder at the time of the study.

Three out of four young adults (75%) met lifetime criteria for binge drinking and the research also reveals that almost one in five (19%) had thought about suicide, with one-in-15 having taken some action on these thoughts.

The research published today also found that experiencing mental ill-health in early life places young people at increased risk of further episodes of mental ill-health during their adult years.

Clinical Research Fellow at the Department of Psychiatry at the RCSI Helen Coughlan said the mental disorder rate in Ireland is about a third, or more, higher than in other countries such as the United States and the UK.