Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Connolly for facilitating the swap.

I want to talk to the Minister of State about a young woman in my constituency by the name of Rebecca. Rebecca has ADHD and she is a also a mental health service user. When Rebecca turned 18 fairly recently, she was discharged from the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, into the adult mental health service. This is not going to come as a surprise to the Minister of State and I am not telling her anything she does not know, but it does seem to have come as a surprise to the HSE or the system. Rebecca's diagnosis of ADHD did not stop when she turned 18. However, she found herself discharged from CAMHS at the age of 18. I am not trying to be smart, but there is nothing more certain than that a 17-year-old is going to turn 18 and, therefore, why the HSE was acting almost shocked that this happened is certainly beyond me and most definitely beyond Rebecca's mother. Seven months on from being discharged from CAMHS, she got her first appointment with the adult mental health services, but they are not in a position to prescribe her the drugs she had been receiving under CAMHS. Now, those drugs are being prescribed by her GP who is not a specialist in the area but is trying to help. It seems as if the mental health supports that are there are almost not acknowledging the complications caused by the ADHD. Rebecca's mam asked me if I could speak to the Minister of State. I know the Minister of State knows this, and I am not being smart, but I was asked to pass it on.

ADHD is a lifelong condition, but the really good news is that if it is treated, it can be managed very successfully. It can be treated very well. Unfortunately for Rebecca, she finds herself stuck in a position where it seems like the adult mental health services are not equipped to deal with ADHD, which would be fine if it was only a childhood condition but, obviously, Rebecca takes the condition from childhood into adulthood. She found herself for months and months really without any support at all.

Why were no supports available for ADHD sufferers when transferring from the child and adolescent services into the adult services? The Minister of State might outline for Rebecca's mam and anyone else who would be interested in what supports are there. It does seem that parents are left struggling. At 18, technically, a child is an adult. Both the Minister of State and I have children that age and they are adults, and they are not. Technically, they are and, of course, they can vote and do all those other things but still, Rebecca's mam is really worried about the fact that she does not seem to be getting any supports for the ADHD, which is further complicating and compounding the mental health issue. Any guidance the Minister of State can give us would be very much appreciated.

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