Irish happier but more tired, says EU survey

Irish people are happier than most other Europeans but feel tired and worn out more regularly, according to a new Eurobarometer survey on mental well-being.

The study - published by the European Commission today - shows that 82 per cent of Irish people claimed to be happy all or most of the time.

This was 17 per cent higher than the EU average and ranked Ireland second only to the Dutch in terms of personal happiness.

But only 30 per cent of Irish respondents claimed they rarely or never felt tired or worn out - which was below the EU average of 34 per cent.

And when Irish people do feel depressed, the survey shows that they are more likely than any other EU nationality to turn to their GP rather than to family for help.

Of those who admitted seeking help from a professional over a psychological or emotional health problem, 91 per cent of Irish people said they visited a GP.

The survey was commissioned to inform debate on a European mental health strategy.

"The importance of mental health needs to be better recognised. For years, the magnitude of problem has been overshadowed by other public health matters but good mental health of the population is a precondition for the EU's success in the knowledge economy", said Markos Kyprianou, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection.

The survey showed that some 83 per cent of Irish people said they were never or rarely so down in the dumps that nothing could cheer them up which was significantly above the EU average of 78 per cent.

Also 78 per cent of Irish people said were never or rarely downhearted or depressed which again was above the average of 71 per cent.

83 per cent of Danes and 80 per cent of German and Swedes say that they have never or rarely felt downhearted and depressed whereas this is only the case for 49 per cent of Turks and 54 per cent of Latvians, the survey shows.

In terms of the energy/vitality dimension, the survey said it can be clearly observed Europeans are "often feeling tired".

"Less than half of the respondents country state that they have been tired only rarely or never," it said.

The highest those not feeling often tired are found in Belgium at 43 per cent, Denmark at 40 per cent whereas only about a quarter of Estonians and Croatians claimed no to be tired regularly.

The study said every year over one in four European adults are affected by mental health problems.

It said mental illnesses lead to 58 000 suicides in Europe annually.

The estimated number of Europeans that have suffered from major depression is 18.4 millions and from specific phobias 18.5 million within the past 12 months.