Young children being rejected for mental health service

Children are being turned away from mental health services due to lack of resources.

Children as young as five are being turned away from essential mental health services and it is unclear "if or when" they will be treated.

In a letter seen by the Irish Examiner, a mother in Carlow was told the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) is not accepting new referrals due to "service operational problems".

"It is unclear if or when those difficulties will be addressed by the HSE service management," the letter from Carlow CAMHS states.

"The difficulties preclude us taking on new cases as we do not have sufficient clinic space to safely assess and provide subsequent follow-up and treatment."

It was revealed earlier this month that 2,229 children with serious mental health and behavioural problems are awaiting an initial assessment by CAMHS — a third of these have been on the waiting list for more than six months.

The mother-of-two in Carlow has been attempting to have her five-year-old daughter treated for behavioural problems for over two years.

"We waited so long for an assessment we made the decision to get her assessed privately," she said. "It was €750, but we needed it so badly we didn't care about paying it.

"The assessment outlined all her problems, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), ADHD."

The results indicated that her daughter would benefit from an expedited review with CAMHS.

"We've been waiting and waiting, and we just got a letter from CAMHS saying they weren't accepting her or anyone," she added.

"We're left in limbo, we have no idea who or where to turn to. My heart is broken."

In a statement, the HSE said: "In the context of Covid-19 related restrictions ... it has not been possible in recent months to facilitate normal levels of service. 

"The matter of clinical space available is expected to be resolved over the next few weeks, at which point the subject of new referrals can be addressed."