Sport NI, in partnership with the Public Health Agency, has announced the launch of its Sport Wellbeing Hub in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The online hub will host information and resources covering anxiety, depression, bereavement, sleep and more.
On the launch of the new online asset, Sport NI issued this release:
The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is the biggest health crisis for generations. The pandemic has increased the mental health risks for our society.
Before the crisis hit, mental illness was already the single largest cause of ill health and disability in Northern Ireland with around 1 in 5 adults and around 45,000 of children suffering from a mental health problem at any one time. The impact of COVID-19 will potentially result in a further increase.
The impact of COVID-19 has exacerbated the pre-existing troubled state of affairs regarding mental health in NI and across the UK:
- The UK's largest domestic abuse charity, Refuge, has reported a 700% increase in calls to its helpline in a single day;
- Young Minds reveals 32% of young people agreed that COVID-19 had made their mental health much worse and 51% agreed that it had made their mental health a bit worse. In Northern Ireland, stigma is still a major deterrent to seeking help for mental illness.
- Prescription rates for mood and anxiety disorders has increased in NI with a higher rate in women than men.
- Guided self-assessment via 'Chatbot ';
- Self-help programmes and digital intervention tools;
- Searchable '5 ways to wellbeing' map; and
- Wellbeing information library.
- Video content featuring some of our sporting heroes talking about mental health.