CHILDREN WITHOUT mental health problems are being admitted to beds in psychiatric services because there is “nowhere else for them to go”.
The Inspector for Mental Health Services says the practice is inappropriate and potentially damaging to young people. Many of these children have social problems but do not have any diagnosable mental disorder.
In his latest annual report, Dr Pat Devitt said the practice was also depriving children with mental health problems who were in crisis of vital beds.
Social workers say troubled children with social or behavioural problems are often referred to acute hospitals or psychiatric services on an emergency basis. The lack of specialised high support or secure units means that children in some parts of the State are often admitted to health services as a measure of last resort.
Martin Rogan, the most senior HSE official responsible for mental health services, accepted that while there were pressures on child and adolescent mental health services, significant progress was being made.
“Back in 2006 we had just 13 child and adolescent in-patient beds for young people. That number increased to 30 last year and it will rise to 52 by the end of this year,” he said.
These moves will help the service comply with new Mental Health Commission revised code of practice which states that adult psychiatric services should cease accepting under-18s from next year. Last year, there were 200 admissions of children to adult psychiatric hospitals, despite comments in the past from Dr Devitt that the practice was “inexcusable and counter-therapeutic”.
The Mental Health Commission’s revised code of practice stipulates that since July of last year no child under 16 should be admitted to an adult unit. This age limit will rise to under 17 by December 2010 and under 18 by December 2011.
However, Dr Devitt said in his report that child and adolescent mental health services were under fresh strain as a result of increasing numbers of under-16s and under-17s being referred to them for treatment. He said waiting lists for more traditional child and adolescent mental illnesses had increased because the majority of professionals’ work centred on dealing with crises among older teens.
Latest available figures show that more than 2,600 children and adolescents were on child and adolescent mental health waiting lists for treatment or assessment. While most young people were waiting between three and six months for treatment, a quarter were waiting more than a year.
In its service plan for 2010, the HSE says it aims to reduce the numbers on waiting lists by about 5 per cent by the end of this year.
Mr Rogan said the HSE had invested extra funds into developing child and adolescent services. He said the vast majority of children – 70 per cent – had an assessment within three months.
