More than a third of those who called the national support line last year just wanted someone to listen to them, it has emerged.
More than 3,000 of the 9,000 calls made to 179 were related to loneliness or callers wanted someone to lend them an ear, official data shows. According to the data, apart from loneliness, people reaching out for help called for many different reasons, including depression and abuse.
The figures were tabled in Parliament this week by Family Minister Michael Falzon in reply to a question by Nationalist MP Ivan Bartolo.
A total of 1,040 calls were made by people with issues related to mental health
Organisations that work with people in need have for years been calling for the issue to be addressed and insisted that loneliness was increasingly becoming a reality for many people. Earlier this year, former Caritas Malta director Leonid McKay said that those turning up to lunches offered by shelters, for instance, only did so for the company and while they might be able to afford a meal, they had nobody to share it with.
Read: Loneliness driving thousands of people to call emergency support hotline
A total of 1,040 calls were made by people with issues related to mental health and 746 calls were seeking information.
There were 448 calls related to domestic violence abuse, be it emotional, physical, sexual or negligence, and 236 calls came from homeless people.
The authorities stepped in earlier this year to help give the support line a new lease on life by replacing the dwindling team of volunteers with full-time workers. The move came after the number of people manning the support line plummeted to a point where the choice was one: either stop the service altogether or employ more people.
The service is run by a team of professionally-trained volunteers. Support line 179 receives calls in situations of child abuse, domestic violence and drug, alcohol and gambling problems, among others.
Apart from support, the helpline also offers information about local social welfare services and other agencies. It is the national helpline for anyone in crisis. In the recent years, the support line extended its service further to also receive calls made to the EU emotional support helpline 116 123 and EU child helpline 116 111.
Read: Help! When the phone is the shoulder to lean on