Volunteers with Samaritans Ireland answered 50 calls per hour throughout last year, according to a newly released report, with more than half of callers saying it was their only source of support, reports RTE.
The Samaritans Ireland Impact Report for 2024/5 revealed that volunteers responded to 470,000 calls in total, handling approximately 1,200 daily.
Callers most commonly discussed issues such as mental health struggles, feelings of loneliness and isolation, and difficulties with family relationships, reports RTE.
Volunteers contributed 100,000 hours of their time, and the average phone call lasted about 28 minutes.
In addition, 6,800 calls were redirected from five other helplines to Samaritans when those services were unavailable.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Executive Director Sarah O’Toole said that feelings of loneliness and isolation are experienced across all sectors of society, reports RTE.
“Sometimes we think of loneliness in relation to living in a rural setting, not having the human connection, but actually we find that you could be living in a city surrounded by people and feel really lonely and isolated,” Ms O’Toole said, reports RTE.
“It is heartening to know that the service is there for people when no one else is,” she said, adding that the charity urged everyone to reach out and talk before a problem becomes too big an issue. Life is hard and there are a lot of demands on people,” she said, and it is really important to seek help when it is needed, reports RTE.
Ms O’Toole also said that the research confirms the charity is “often a lifeline and the only support for people who are lonely or feeling isolated, people who are struggling with the pressures of day-to-day life, and people who are in crisis”.
“For over half of those who responded, we were their only form of support and 84% felt we provided a safe place to talk,” she said, reports RTE.
Minister of State for Mental Health Mary Butler said there has been a major decline in rates of suicide and self-harm over the last two decades.
“I have no doubt voluntary organisations like Samaritans have played a key role in this progress by acting as a lifeline for many people,” she said in a statement, reports RTE.
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