Lack of HSE services 'tears families apart', says Cork mother whose daughter died with eating disorder

The Oireachtas Health Committee heard that 'the majority of young people, 95%, will recover with outpatient care for an eating disorder.'

A woman whose daughter died with an eating disorder has said the HSE and politicians are letting down "families being torn apart" and "at breaking point" by the lack of services.

Paula Crotty told the Oireachtas Health Committee that her daughter, Jennifer, died almost three years ago. “She was one of 80 thought to die from an eating disorder every year,” she said.

“The facts are the Government and the HSE are right now leaving this population down. There are so many others out there that are devastated, and the services aren’t there.” 

An eating disorder can “break every relationship that’s around,” she said. Jennifer needed long-term treatment in England, among many challenges.

“Jennifer went to London for 10 months, so we were back and forth. I have four other children,” she said. “It’s trying to balance that and give the same time to each one of them, which actually you just can’t do.

“My husband would go one week, and I’d go the next week. It just tears families apart, the stress and strain, let alone the financial costs of being able to do that.” 

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Awareness programmes in schools should also be available for parents, she urged.

“I’m a nurse, my husband is a doctor,” she said. “Did we see this coming for my daughter? The answer is no. Even looking back, did I see it coming? The answer is I really didn’t.” 

Ms Crotty is the founder of CARED Ireland, a voluntary organisation representing parents and carers of people with eating disorders. She warned: “We hear daily from families at breaking point."

She also called for deaths related to eating disorders to be recorded as such.

“Mortality rates for anorexia nervosa are up to 11–12 times higher than those of peers without the disorder. The suicide risk is 56 times higher,” she said.

“We don’t hear about these deaths for a variety of reasons, often they are recorded as suicide, medical complications. So many parents are too traumatised to talk about it.” 

Harriet Parsons, chief executive of eating disorders association Bodywhys, said its helpline responded to almost 1,300 calls in 2024. More than a third concerned people under 18, while almost a quarter were people over 36, she said.

She and other speakers stressed geographical gaps, saying 14 counties still have no eating disorder services at all.

Another significant problem is delays for teenagers who age out of children’s care under Camhs and need adult mental health services.  They can sometimes wait for a year and lose progress made.

Harriet Parsons, chief executive of eating disorders association Bodywhys, said its helpline responded to almost 1,300 calls in 2024.

Dr Amir Niazi, HSE national clinical advisor and group lead for mental health, acknowledged “transition is a problem”.

He said: “Four years ago, we only had one functional team. We have 11 functional teams now. Three are in recruitment, and two more have been approved this year. By the end of this year, we will have 16 teams.”  He expects transitions to be smoother then.

Dr Michelle Clifford, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist and HSE national clinical lead for eating disorders, said community services are vital. “We absolutely recognise the mortality, that is why we have prioritised the services,” she said.

She said “approximately 10%” of children in Camhs Eating Disorder teams transition to adult services. In her team, out of 70 open cases last year, three needed transfer to adult care.

“My experience on the ground is that recovery is absolutely possible,” she said. “The majority of young people, 95%, will recover with outpatient care for an eating disorder.” 

She added: “It’s one of the great myths around eating disorders that recovery isn’t possible and that you absolutely need to be admitted into hospitals.”