Hike in drug-using psychiatric patients
Irish Examiner 24/08/2007

THERE has been a 25% rise in the number of people admitted to psychiatric hospitals with drug disorders, new figures show.read full article

Girls close gap for use of cannabis
Irish Examiner 24/08/2007

THE gap between schoolgirls and schoolboys in terms of cannabis use has narrowed dramatically in the last four years, new research shows.
read full article

State bill for infected blood may exceed 1.1bn
778m already awareded to those with HIV, Hepatitis C
Irish Times 22/08/2007

The State's bill for compensating people who contracted HIV or hepatitis C from the contamination of blood products is ultimately set to reach more than 1.1 billion, according to new figures produced by the Department of Health.read full article read full article

Alarming increase in psychosis due to drugs
Irish Examiner 22/08/2007

The clinical director of a mental health service has said the criminalisation of drugs has failed and that “cannabis is being thrown around the country like bales of hay”.read full article

Review shows poor outcomes for teen mothers
Irish Times 14/08/2007

Teenagers from socially deprived areas in Ireland and Britain are up to six times more likely to become pregnant than teenagers from other areas and are much less likely to opt for a terdmination, according to a new review. And in the long term, the offspring of adolescents have poorer cognitive development, lower education attainment, more frequent criminal activity and a higher risk of abuse, neglect and behavioural problems during childhood says the review.read full article

Text to get the message across
Irish Times 14/08/2007

Young people are more likely to look for support services through their own medium - the text message, according to research carried out by Rehab. "Young people are more familiar with mobile phones and figures show that in Ireland there is 112 per cent mobile phone penetration," Colette Ryan, suicide prevention manager at Rehab said yesterday.read full article

'Discreet' drug rehabs to be set up
Minister considers new centres to attract professionals needing treatments Irish Examiner 07/08/2007

Drug services may be set up in discreet offices near places of work in a bid to attract professionals into treatment.

Drugs Strategy Minister Pat Carey said he was considering the proposal following discussions with a number of medical experts. read full article

The rate of STI's have been increasing steadily since 2002
Irish Times Health Supplement 10/07/2007
by Helene Hoffman

“The rate of STI's have been increasing steadily since 2002, writes Helene Hoffman, pointing out that people are more likely to have unplanned sex and take sexual risks when they're away from home.” read full article

Teenage delegates call for better policies on sexual health
Irish Times 05/07/2007
by Roisin Ingle

Young people are calling on the Government to acknowledge their rights such as access to sexual health services, information on sexual and reproductive issues and their right to confidentiality in these areas, as underpinned in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.read full article

Syringe caps to combat spread of infectious diseases
Irish Examiner 29/06/2007

NEW colour-coded syringe caps are to be given to injecting cocaine users in a bid to combat the spread of infectious diseases.read full article

Cervical cancer jab offers greater protection
Irish Examiner 29/06/2007

A NEW cervical cancer jab may prevent more cancers than one available in Ireland since last November.read full article

Coping with STIs and relationship break-ups part of sex education pack
Irish Examiner 26/06/2007

Coping with relationship break-ups and visits to STI clinics will be issues covered in a new sex education pack for secondary schools and pupils. read full article

Free condoms would help reduce the ill effects of sexual ignorance
Irish Examiner 22/06/2007

I have frequently heard my parents' generation express astonishment at the high level of unplanned and crisis pregnancies in contemporary Ireland.
Their puzzlement is understandable; from their perspective, there were hard-fought battles from the 1960s onwards for a liberalisation of the laws relating to contraception, battles that were eventually won, meaning younger people would presumably be less likely to find themselves surprised by pregnancy.read full article

Pharmacies selling the pill without prescription
Irish Examiner 11/06/2007

Pharmacists are selling the contraceptive pill to women without a prescription. read full article

50% Teens at support service abusing alcohol
Irish Times Tues 29/05/2007

Half of teenagers attending the biggest adolescent counselling service in Dublin are abusing alcohol, with the majority bingeing at the weekends to get drunk, according to the services annual report. read full article

Teenagers find it hard to discuss mental health
Irish Times 14/05/2007

Less than 20% of secondary school students who responded to a survey said they could discuss health issues with their doctor. read full article

One third binge drink before sex, survey finds
Irish Examiner 12/04/2007

ALMOST one third of people surveyed for a new study into the relationship between alcohol and casual sex said they engaged in binge drinking before having sex. read full article

EU ruling in Poland abortion case could affect law here
Irish Times 21/03/2007

The European Court of Human Rights has found Poland guilty of a breach of human rights in an abortion case that could have implications for Ireland. Three Irish women have taken a case to the court that has similarities with the Polish case. The court may begin hearing the Irish case, lodged in 2005, later this year. read full article

Polish woman wins case over denied abortion
Irish Times 21/03/2007

Poland has been ordered to pay a woman €39,000 after she was prevented from having an abortion despite medical warnings that she could lose her sight if she gave birth. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled yesterday that the human rights of Alicja Tysiac (36) were breached because Poland has no effective legal framework that enables a pregnant woman to assert her right to an abortion on medical grounds.
read full article

Funding threat to pioneering sex education service
Irish Examiner 21/03/2007

An innovative sex education programme currently being offered to schools is in danger because of a lack of government funding. The future of the sex education programme, which has been delivered for years by the Sexual Health Centre in Cork, is in doubt, acoording to the centre's chief executive, Deirdre Seery, who accused the Government of paying "lip service" to sex education. read full article

Inspections to ensure sex education is taught
Irish Examiner 14/03/2007

All secondary schools will be vetted from next year to ensure they teach sex education as new figures show one-in-10 ignore the subject totally. Despite being mandatory, a study commissioned by the Crisis Pregnancy Agency and the Department of Education and Science, found an overcrowded, exam-oriented curriculum and the discomfort of some teachers in discussing the subject are among the reasons why students are missing out on vital life lessons. read full article

Report: Teen Sex Education 'Inconsistent'
Irish Examiner 14/03/2007

The Government is failing to give young people the information they need on sex and relationships to allow them to make better choices, Fine Gael's Olwyn Enright claimed yesterday. The party spokeswoman on education was commentating on a new study which found that teenagers are being taught about sex in a patchy and inconsistent fashion and some are not being taught at all.read full article

When it comes to sex education we still have an awful lot to learn
Irish Times 14/03/2007

When teenagers were asked for their views on the age of sexual consent in the first ever government consultation on the issue last year, many adults tittered incredulously. Surely it was a waste of time asking irresponsible, hormonal, convention-breaking teenagers what kind of safeguards should be put in pladce around underage sexual activity? read full article

One in 10 schools not giving sex education
Boys' secondary schools least likely to teach subject
Irish Times 14/03/2007

One in 10 secondary schools does not teach any form of sex education despite it being a required part of the curriculum, it has emerged.
read full article

Good Counsel eases the pain of HIV diagnosis
Irish Examiner 28/02/2007

It takes a certain type of person to be a counsellor who can provide both a listening ear and a wealth of information to somebody who's just been told they've got HIV. But such counsellors are an invaluable resource for people with HIV, and are often among the first spoken to by patients after they get the news of their diagnosis. read full article

Small but Significant rise in HIV in Ireland in recent years
Irish Examiner 28/02/2007

The incidence of HIV looks to be on the increase in Ireland, with the first half of 2006 showing a 16% increase of new infections from the same period in 2005. And of the 151 new cases reported between January and June of 2006, where the probable route of transmission was know, 78 were acquired heterosexually, compared with 28 among injecting drug users and 40 among homosexual men. In total, 169 people were diagnosed with HIV during that six-month spell, compared with 147 cases in the first half of 2005.
read full article

'I've come through the wars and out the other side'
Irish Examiner 28/02/2007

"It was so painful, just to see the look on my mother's face" - James O'Connor still remembers, as if it were yesterday, the moment almost 16 years ago when he had to tell his widowed mother that he had AIDS. Lying in a hospital bed in Dublin, after two years of progressively worse illness which was almost fatally ignored, James shared the grief with his loved ones.read full article

What is HIV and AIDS?
Irish Examiner 28/02/2007

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which slowly destroys CD4+ white blood cells in the body. These cells help to fight infections and diseases caused by viruses and bacteria. When somebody's immune system is no longer working properly, because of HIV's destruction of the CD4+ cells, they may be diagnosed with AIDS. read full article

HIV vaccine remains 'holy grail' of treatment
Irish Examiner 28/02/2007

Advances in treatment mean that a diagnosis of HIV is no longer viewed as being a death sentence and patients can live healthily for years on well-managed medication. read full article

More infections and more AIDS deaths in 2005 than ever before
Irish Examiner 01 March 2007

THROUGHOUT the developed, western world, the availability of antiretroviral drugs in recent years has done much to stem the flow of deaths resulting from HIV and AIDS, but the situation in developing countries provides a bleak contrast. read full article

Youth cafes to finally get green light after 10 years
Irish Examiner 26/02/2007

The government is finally preparing to introduce youth cafes in order to tackle binge drinking - 10 years after being elected. Childrens minister Brian Lenihan said yesterday that the demand for non-alcoholic outlets by youth groups was certainly "a worthy one" adding that the government would bring forward it's policy on the issue "in a few weeks time".read full article

Screening may be used to combat chlamydia
Irish Examiner 09/01/2007

LEADING health researchers have been appointed to examine all options — including a National Screening Programme — to combat the massive rise in the number of young people contracting chlamydia. read full article

Incidence of HIV infection on rise here
Fiona Gartland

The incidence of HIV infection is on the increase again in Ireland , according to a report on drugs in Europe released yesterday. read full article

Age of first sexual intercourse steadily declines over 50 years
Irish Times 17/10/2006
Eithne Donnellan

The average age at which Irish people first have sex has steadily declined over the last half century, new research confirms. read full article

Irish attitude to sex undergoes dramatic shift over 30 years. Just 6% of people think premarital sex is always wrong, compared to 71% of people back in 1973.
Irish Times 17/10/2006
Eithne Donnellan, Health Correspondent

There has been a dramatic change in the attitude of Irish people to a range of sexual behaviours, including sex before marriage, over the past three decades, according to new research. read full article

Most Irish Adults Have Sex Less Than Once A week
Irish Times 17/10/2006
Carl O'Brien

Most Irish adults have sex less than once a week. A majority of men (58 per cent) and women (57 per cent) have sex less than once a week, while a quarter of men and women have sex less than once a month.
read full article

Trends show younger men more likely to pay for sex
Irish Times 17/10/2006
by Carl O'Brien

There appears to be an increasing trend towards paying for sex among younger men. read full article

Clear Majority Would Tolerate Some Abortions
Irish Times 17/10/06
By Eithne Donnellan

The majority of Irish people now believe abortion is acceptable in at least some circumstances, the ESRI/RCSI research found. read full article

17 Now Average Age Of First Sexual Experience
Irish Examiner 17 October 2006
By Evelyn Ring

MOST people now in their 20s had sex for the first time before their 18th birthday, a groundbreaking new Irish study on sexual health and relationships reveals. read full article

Drink blamed as 10,000 diagnosed with STIs last year
Examiner 26/09/06
by Mary Regan

More than 10,000 Irish people were diagnosed with some form of sexually transmitted infection (STI) last year, with excessive alcohol consumption being blamed for the unprecedented rise in infection rates.
read full article

Suicide helpline for teens launched
Irish Times 09/09/2006

A new freephone helpline for young people at risk of suicide, depression and self harm was launched in Ballyfermot last night. The Samaritans' Teenhelp service was set up by community groups in response to high rates of suicide among teenagers in the area.
read full article

Voters may get say on rape law reform
Irish Times 28/07/2006

The Government is willing to consider a constitutional referendum to provide specific protection for children and to deal with  the outcome of the Supreme Court "CC" case on statutory rape, it has emerged.
read full article

Pro-Life group calls for embryo protection
Examiner 27/06/2006

Poll favours stem-cells clamp down.A leading anti-abortion group has called on the Government to provide greater legal protection for human embryos in the face of growing pressures for their use of stem cell research.
read full article

Dramatic fall in reporting of statutory rape cases
Examiner 22/07/2006

65% drop since chage in rape laws, warns Barnardos There has been a dramatic fall-off in the number of young people reporting sex crime since new statutory rape laws were introduced, the child protection charity Barnardos warned last night.
read full article

Urgent Call for Chlamydia Screening
Irish Times 18/07/2006

20% of young women attending clinic infected An urgent need for Chlamydia screening among young people has been highlighted by the Dublin Well Woman Centre after it emerged that 20% of women aged under 20 who attended a clinic in Coolock tested positive for the STI. At another clinic, on Liffey St in the city centre, 14% of those aged under 20 had the infection. Chlamydia testing has been offered to young women attending the centres clinics since the start of 2005.
read full article

Teenagers to have voice on age of consent
Examiner 21/06/2006

Teenagers are to be consulted on the issue of the age f consent it was announced yesterday. Minister for Children Brian Lenihan made the announcement as he revealed the appointment of two legal experts who will help tackle the legal difficulties following last months controversial Supreme Court ruling.
read full article

Ahern promises to tackle stigma around AIDS
Examiner 03/06/2006

The Government will launch a national campaign to combat the stigma surrounding people with Aids/Hiv later this year. The Taoiseach made the announcement when he addressed the United Nations general assembly in New York yesterday. "If we succeed in reversing this epidemic, we must also tackle the stigma and discrimination associated with it," Mr Ahern said. "Political leaders have to work to make our societies more open, more caring, more inclusive and non-judgemental."
read full article

Court moves to show effects of rape ruling
Irish Times 27/05/2006

Conor lally and martin Wall Opposition calls for immediate action to close legislative loophole. The far reaching consequences of this week's ruling by the supreme court became more clear yesterday when two charges of statutory rape of a 16yr old girl against a Dublin man were discontinued by the state, calling into question all legislation on statute books relating to sexual intercourse with minors.
read full article

Concealed Pregnancies not a thing of the past
The Examiner 24/05/2006

Fear of social stigma and upsetting family means women continue to hide pregnancy, forfeiting ante-natal care to the detriment of their unborn child, new research has found. The report - Concealed Pregnancy: A case study approach in Irish setting - said neither denial nor concealment of pregnancy were a thing of the past.
read full article

Crisis pregnancy ‘can be avoided if teens wait for sex’
Irish Examiner 18/05/2006
By Evelyn Ring

ENCOURAGING teen-agers to wait until they feel ready to have sex is regarded as the best way to avoid a crisis pregnancy, a conference heard yesterday. Research shows that levels of regret, non-use of contraception and risk of conceiving under 18 years are considerably higher among young people who begin sex before 16.
read full article

Young to hear of 'regrets' about early sex
Irish Times 15/05/2006

Up to 85% of young females who became sexually active at an early age said they regretted the decision later on in life, a conference on sexual health for young people will be told this week.
read full article

City's first Gay pride parade as part of week long celebration
Examiner 15th May 2006

Cork's first Gay parade will take place on June 4th in the City Centre as part of Cork Pride 2006. The festival, which will be launched by the Lord Mayor on May 29th, is expected to attract 3,000 people with about 100 people taking part in the parade itself.
read full article

Over the Counter morning after pill opposed
Irish Times

Some two thirds of patients say the 'morning after' pill should be made available in the republic without prescription, prize winning research presented at the annual meeting of the Irish College of General Practitioners has found.  But 67% of doctors said the pill should NOT be available over the counter.
read full article

One-in-seven will contract STI by the age of 24
Irish Examiner

ONE-in-seven young Irish people will have picked up a sexually transmitted infection (STI) by the age of 24 years, a new study shows. The survey also found that young people are angry at the lack of services available to them.
read full article

40% of gays experience physical or verbal abuse, survey finds.
Irish Times - Tues 3rd May

More than four out of ten gay people have experienced verbal or physical abuse because of their sexuality, according to a report launched yesterday. Only one in five victims reported the attack to the Gardai, with a majority reporting no confidence in the force, or considering a complaint to be pointless. read full article

Government to give €4  to drug and youth projects
Examiner Mon 03/04/2006

Over €4 Million is being provided in additional funding to drug and youth projects, the government has announced. Some €2.27m is being provided to projects in the Local Drugs Task Force areas in Dublin and Cork under the Emerging Needs Fund. And up to €2 Million is being allocated to drug prevention projects in Waterford and Carlow under the young people's facilities and Services Fund.read full article

Huge increase in Chlamydia in Cork and Kerry
Experts concerned by rise in STI's
Examiner Mon 03/04/06

Health experts have expressed concern about the significant rise in people contracting STI's which can lead to infertility. Reported cases of Chlamydia in the two counties  last year are nearly  5 tìmes what they were in 2000. That year 88 were recorded in STI clinics.  The figure rose to 377 in 2004 and took another jump last year to 423.read full article

Government Concern as 3 teens commit suicide in 2 weeks
Irish Examiner - Wed 29th Mar 06

The Government must make tackling suicide a political  priority, the President of the Irish Assoc of Suicidology said last night.  The comments from Dan Neville follow the  deaths of 3 teenage girls in the past two weeks. read full article

NEW PILL COULD PREVENT HIV INFECTION
Irish Examiner 28/03/2006

Twenty-five years after the first AIDS cases jolted the world, US scientists think they soon may have the pill that could prevent HIV, the virus that causes the disease.read full article

Media 'influences children's sexual activities' Study: TV as influential as religion
22/03/2006 Irish Times

Children exposed to sex in TV programmes, films, magazines and music are more likely to engage in sexual activity than those who are not, a study released yesterday found.read full article

USI to lobby for abortion services
Irish Examiner 22/03/2006

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has narrowly voted in favour of reaffirming its call for the Government to provide greater access to abortion services for women within the State.read full article

Gay support in rural areas
Irish Examiner 23/02/2006

Priests and local politicians are among those who will receive new information leaflets aimed at providing support for gay people living in rural areas.
read full article

'I wouldn't even let myself think anything gay'
Irish Examiner 22/02/2006

For many, growing up gay in Ireland isn't getting easier: Pol O Conghaile talks to two men from different generations about their experiences.
read full article

Pride and Prejudice
Irish Examiner 22/02/2006

Discrimination from the State and Church still helps foster a negative attitude to gay people, writes Pol O Conghaile.
read full article

Almost 11,000 STIs notified in 2004
Irishhealth.com 02/11/05

The number of people contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Ireland is continuing to rise, new figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) have shown. According to the figures, almost 11,000 STIs were notified in 2004, an increase of 12% on the previous year. read full article

One-in-six have used cannabis
Irishhealth.com 07/10/05

A new 32-county survey has found that 17% of the Irish population has used cannabis at one stage in their lives, while 3% have reported using it in the past month. Over a quarter of people surveyed who said they had ever taken cannabis said that they had used cannabis at some stage in their lives, with 5% having used the drug in the past year and 3% in the past month. read full article

Safe sex messages absent from films
Irishhealth.com 03/10/05

The most popular movies of the last 20 years have failed to provide safe sex messages, a new study has found. Furthermore the depiction of illicit drug use in the same movies has tended to be positive. read full article

Study finds third of schools poor at sex education
Irish Examiner 23/09/2005

A third of schools across the State are doing little to implement the department of Education's sex education programme for students, the preliminary results of new research indicate. read full article

Under-35s largely in favour of legalising abortion
22/09/05

Political Correspondent IRISH voters aged under 35 are overwhelmingly in favour of legalising abortion, pointing to a major change in the constitution within the next decade. read full article

Europe has no power to change abortion law
Irish Examiner 07/09/2005

THE Government insisted the European Court of Human Rights has no power to change the law on abortion in Ireland in the case of a woman who claims her inability to obtain an abortion here was a breach of her human rights. read full article

Teenage Sex Part 4
Irish Examiner 02/09/205

In the final part of our series on teenagers and sex Aileen Quinlan looks at teen pregnancy and assesses the help available to young mothers. read full article

Teenage Sex Part Three
Irish Examiner 01/08/2005

In the third part of our four-part series on teenagers and sex, Ailin Quinlan examines what students learn in school and how changes could reduce our teen pregnancy rates. read full article

Teenage Sex Part Two
Irish Examiner 31/08/2005

In the second part of our four-part series on teenagers and sex Ailin Quinlan hears how parents have a pivotal role in sex education and learns how to broach the sensitive subject.
read full article

Grief Encounters
Protection vital to prevent disease
Irish Examiner 30/08/2005

Ignorance among teenagers of the need to use condoms to protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is believed to be a major factor in the surge in notified cases of STIs.
read full article

Students 'benefiting from alcohol abuse scheme'
Irish Examiner 30/08/20051

Health Correspondent Absenteeism from school in the days following collection of Junior Cert exam results has been "very low" in South Tipperary since the development of a new programme aimed at ensuring students are kept away from alcohol after they pick up their results.
read full article

Hoax text forces helpline to shut
Irish Examiner 29/08/2005

A HELPLINE for impotent men had to be shut down after a spoof text message caused it to be bombarded with calls.
read full article

Gay group welcomes condemnation by bishops of bullying
IRISH TIMES 16/08/2005

A group representing gay and lesbian people has welcomed the recent condemnation by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland of bullying because of sexual orientation.
read full article

Condom clash over state aids cash
Irish Times 13/07/2005

Taxpayer's money should not be used to fund overseas HIV/ Aids programmes, which do not advocate the use of condoms, Senator David Norris has said. read full article

Study highlights extent of Irish cocaine problem
Irish Times 06/07/2005

Problems arising from cocaine use are particularly acute in inner-city Dublin, Cork and the north-east, a new study on the impact of the drug in Ireland suggests. read full article

STD clinic issues safe sex warning after hepatitis B outbreak
Examiner 29/06/2005

A CLINIC in Cork has dealt with more cases of a sexually transmitted disease in recent months than anywhere else in the country. Doctors at the Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Clinic at the South Infirmary Victoria Hospital have dealt with eight cases of hepatitis B since early March. read full article

Many teens using false ID to buy alcohol
www.irishhealth.com 23/06/2005

Many Irish teenagers are using false or borrowed ID cards to get into places where alcohol is available, the results of a new survey have found. read full article

Durex Global Sex Survey

Click here to take part in the Durex Global Sex Survey.

New pregnancy counselling service in NW
www.irishhealth.com 20/06/2005

A new pregnancy counselling service has been launched in the north west by the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA). The service will be open to any women in the region and their partners, who are experiencing a crisis pregnancy. read full article

Aids vaccine likely within 10 years
Irish Times 18/06/2005

A vaccine for Aids could be available within a decade if recent progress in medical research is sustained, Prof Robert Gallo, the doctor who first developed a test for HIV, told a conference in Dublin yesterday. read full article

New data show hiv cases down 10.8%
Irish Times 15/06/2005

Just one of 113 babies born last year ended up testing HIV-positive, according to figures published by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HSPSC) yesterday. read full article

One in three people with AIDS do not know they are infected, finds research
Irish Examiner 14/05/05

Many patients in Ireland and Britain are not having their HIV infection diagnosed until the disease is at a late stage, new research has found. read full article

College sex life fraught with danger
Examiner Student survey 26/04/05

Despite the worrying issues raised by the survey carried out by the Health Promotion Unit in association with the National Working Group on Alcohol Consumption in Higher Education into the health and sexual mores of students, the reality is probably worse. read full article

Suicide attempt every 45 mins
www.irishhealth.ie 11/04/05

At least one Irish person attempts to commit suicide every 45 minutes, Young Fine Gael (YFG) has said. It has just launched a major campaign aimed at drawing attention to the issue of suicide among young people. read full article