Staff working on a mental health helpline have said that more people are looking for help now than ever before.

The support and information helpline at St Patrick's University Hospital in Dublin is the only service of its kind in the country. It is staffed by experienced mental health nurses and provides support and advice to both the public and people working in this area.

The latest figures show that last year, 1,947 calls were made to the helpline, compared to 1,853 in 2011.

There was a big increase in calls relating to depression - from 324 in 2011 to 382 in 2012. While calls relating to eating disorders jumped from 44 in 2011 to 121 in 2012.

Other queries related to issues such as anxiety, addiction and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).

"In 2012, at least five times a day we helped callers turn their lives around. The impact of this unique service is growing nationally every year and it's something we are very proud of at St Patrick's," commented the hospital's director of services, Tom Maher.

Meanwhile the figures also show that people appear to be seeking help earlier. In 2011, 41% of callers admitted that they had taken more than one year to seek help for their problem. In 2012, this figure had fallen to 20%.

"It is reassuring to see that year on year more people are seeking advice for a mental health issue rather than suffering in silence. We are also heartened to see that people may be beginning to seek help earlier for mental health difficulties," said the hospital's CEO, Paul Gilligan.

He added that while there is still much to be done in reducing the burden of stigma related to mental health issues, ‘it's important that every Irish citizen knows that there is help out there', through initiaitves like the helpline.

The helpline is available Monday to Friday on (01) 249 3333 or email info@stpatsmail.com