Irish emigrants arriving in the US are less educated and much more vulnerable to depression than they were during the huge "brain drain" of the 1980s, a major conference on immigration in New York has heard.
Ms Eibhlín Donlon-Farry, a therapist with the Aisling Irish Centre in New York, told the Coalition of Immigration Centres' annual conference in Manhattan that the average age of emigrants had dropped and those coming over now were less educated, relied heavily on Irish neighbourhoods and were prone to binge-drinking and drug abuse.
Ms Donlon-Farry said that Monday-morning absenteeism was declining because of an increase in the use of cocaine to stay alert after a weekend of binge-drinking. However, this led to a comedown and depression by the next day.
She said those arriving in the US were typically 18 to 25 years of age. They lacked coping skills and adjusted poorly to life in the US. Many were living a bicultural existence between the US and Ireland, unsure to which country they belonged.
"Many feel very vulnerable and they are very reliant on the ethnic enclave for everything from accommodation to work to friends," she said.
Ms Donlon-Farry said there were high levels of stress among the group because of seasonal unemployment, particularly among men in the construction business. Many lived in overcrowded apartments with unpacked suitcases on the ground. "They are never really nesting and as a result, they feel very lost," she said.
"It's kind of an interesting caveat that people used to speak about the Monday-morning syndrome and guys missing work. Now guys are using cocaine to get to work, but by Tuesday they are in the doldrums," she said.
Ms Donlon-Farry said that couples were also a significant social group seeking therapy. "I've seen a lot of marital discord over whether to go back to Ireland or not," she said.
"Many have no life goals in the first place, so in five years they don't know whether to be in the US or to return to Ireland. If a child comes along, the women usually feels a lack of family support and wants to go back to Ireland because the extended family helps with child-rearing. This can lead to tension in the marriage." She said that therapists also dealt with many single Irish women who are well educated but working in low-paid jobs.
"They are readily available for counselling and don't have a problem coming to see us. We have women who have graduate degrees in Dublin who are working as nannies, and 10 years later they are still there. They are miserable, have low self-esteem and then they can end up in abusive relationships."