752 children with mental illness have been waiting for treatment from the HSE for over a year.
That’s almost twice as much as a year ago, when 385 children had to wait more than 12 months, reports The Mirror.
New figures from the Irish Mirror show that there are 4,490 children on the waiting list for the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Service.
That’s around 1,000 more than at the same time last year.
Almost 40 percent of teenagers are waiting for treatment for more than six months.
CAMHS provides specialist care for children and young people with moderate to severe mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders and self-harm.
Brendan Kelly, professor of psychiatry at Trinity College, Dublin, said the waiting lists were completely unacceptable.
He added: “Children and adolescents who need mental health care require urgent intervention. These are valuable years for education, socialisation and development. Approximately one young person in every five suffers from a mental illness requiring support, psychological treatment or other interventions,” reports The Mirror.
Kerry and Cork are by far the most difficult areas for any community health organization across the country.
There are a total of 882 children on the waiting lists in the two areas, 341 of whom have been waiting for more than a year.
The figures were shared with Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane, who is calling for urgent action.
Mr Cullinane said: “CAMHS services are chronically underfunded and waiting lists are growing year-on-year. Children with mental health challenges are being failed by a poorly resourced system. We need a comprehensive workforce plan that identifies staffing gaps and substantially increases training places. There needs to be changes within youth mental health, from top to bottom,” reports The Mirror.
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