6,500 used Catholic marriage counselling service last year

Accord, the voluntary Catholic marriage guidance service,was involved in more than 6,500 marriage counselling cases last year.

The service, which is run under the auspices of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, operates from 60 centres in all 26 dioceses North and South.

More than half of those who sought Accord’s services reported themselves to be under financial pressure, and similar numbers reported fears of separation from their spouses.

Reports of communication problems are rising, as are reported instances of emotional abuse.

Levels of depression appear to have peaked, the latest figures suggest, with levels largely unchanged from last year, and down six percentage points from 2010.