The Irish government has introduced My Mental Health Plan, an interactive online tool intended to improve mental health literacy among Irish citizens.

Minister for Mental Health and Older People Mary Butler launched the initiative, which aims to provide knowledge and understanding of anxiety, stress, sleep disturbances and low mood.

Developed by the Health Service Executive (HSE), My Mental Health Plan is accessible via the yourmentalhealth.ie website.

It offers an interactive experience in which users answer four multiple-choice questions related to their sleep quality, stress levels, mood and anxiety.

The tool then suggests recommended actions and can direct users to additional support if needed, including face-to-face or phone assistance for those requiring more intensive care.

Butler said: “I am pleased to hear from the HSE that since mid-January, nearly 700 people have started a Mental Health Plan and 649 have completed a plan.

“I would like to commend the HSE for their huge efforts in completing this project and making this digital mental health tool available to the entire population on yourmentalhealth.ie.

"In allocating funding, I am committed to supports that can make a real and tangible difference to the mental health and wellbeing of the people of Ireland.”

My Mental Health Plan is one of several efforts by the Irish government to bolster mental health services as part of its 2024 Health Budget.

The budget has allocated nearly €1.3bn ($1.39bn) to mental health, marking the fourth year of consecutive increases.

These funds will be used to enhance care across various frameworks, including the national mental health policy Sharing the Vision, the national suicide reduction strategy Connecting for Life, and the HSE Annual Service Plan.

The government plans to launch a mobile app targeting youth mental health later this year in collaboration with HSE and Spunout.