A 24-hour national mental health helpline received over 7,000 calls in 2023, with loneliness ranking as the most common reason for calling.

Launched in November 2022, the 1579 hotline provides immediate and free emotional support and guidance for anyone experiencing psychological distress.

Since its inception, psychological professionals have responded to more than 8,000 calls – more than 900 in the last two months of 2022 – and over 7,200 in 2023.

While people reach out to the helpline for different reasons, a health ministry spokesperson said that 21 per cent of callers suffered from loneliness. Others reached out due to depression (11%), relational issues (8%) and anxiety (7%).

According to data, more than half, 53% of callers, were female.

Requests for mental health support have escalated drastically since the COVID-19 pandemic. While awareness of how people can seek help has increased, those services providing support have struggled to keep up with the growing number of requests for help.

In August the president of the Chamber of Psychologists said Malta is facing a “crisis in mental health services”, as waiting lists keep getting longer and psychologists feel burned out.

According to the Richmond Foundation, more than one person a day contemplated dying by suicide in 2022 and this year the foundation also received a “worrying amount” of phone calls from people who were thinking of suicide.

In the first six months of this year, Richmond provided 336 therapy sessions to individuals who could not afford them, marking a projected 820% increase in four years.

A study published in 2022 by the Faculty of Social Wellbeing said that more than half of the Maltese struggle with feelings of loneliness.

The ministry spokesperson said that the helpline supports an average of 637 new callers per month, some of whom become regular and contact the helpline on a quasi-daily basis.

“For the past year, callers have been provided with immediate and free emotional support, advice and practical guidance. Callers are sometimes assisted in accessing mental health services and other government agencies and NGOs provide services on behalf of the public mental health system.”

Anything disclosed during the call remains confidential, as long as there is no risk of self-harm or harm to others. In this case, the call handler ropes in emergency services and liaises with other mental health professionals to bring the caller to safety. The helpline would reach out with a follow-up call to ensure the intervention was successfully implemented. 

1,789 hospital admissions for mental health 

According to hospital figures, more than 1,700 people resorted to the Emergency Department at Mater Dei Hospital for mental health reasons in the past 11 months.

The spokesperson explained that the admissions were registered for either mental health crises, psychiatric issues or Mount Carmel admissions.

The first three months of the year saw more than 450 patients admitted to emergency for mental health reasons. The number of admissions peaked in May when the hospital registered 186 such admissions.

The number dipped in June (147) but once again rose in July (180).

The highest number of admissions, 187, were registered both in October and November.

If you are feeling depressed and need support, or need guidance on how to help someone who is suicidal, call 1579 or you can call Richmond Malta’s helpline on 1770. One can also type OLLI.Chat on your desktop, mobile or tablet browser to chat with a professional.