Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issue of the serious crisis regarding the provision of acute treatment in mental health services for children and adolescents. I am talking about young people with suicidal ideation, those who are self-harming and those with eating disorders and other mental health issues. They are unable to access appropriate treatment facilities, particularly when they face a crisis.

What really brings it home to me is the fact that I am dealing with a family in the throes of trying to help their daughter who has an eating disorder and is in a life-threatening condition.Her condition has deteriorated to the extent that it is now critical and life-threatening. The young girl's family have been unable to secure services appropriate for a teenager. After considerable efforts were made, she was eventually admitted to a paediatric department of a local hospital in the west where she shares a ward with other children. The child needs someone at her bedside at all times to ensure she is safe and receiving care. She is still not receiving appropriate counselling or treatment and her condition is not being addressed or progressed. The child is 15 years old and a 12 year old child with the same condition is in the bed opposite her.

The only specialist beds for teenagers are in Galway. Many similar cases have been highlighted recently in the press. There is a serious problem with our acute services and a crisis in CAMHS. Information provided by the Health Service Executive shows that the child and mental health services, CAMHS, teams are operating at 53% of their staff capacity in the west, although the problem is national. We must get to grips with this problem. Unfortunately, the incidence of children and adolescents experiencing mental health problems appears to be exploding and we must do something about it. Families are at their wits' end because they do not know how to address the problem and fear for the lives of their children. We need a full debate on this issue. The Minister for Health and Minister of State with responsibility for mental health services must set out a pathway for dealing with children and teenagers at a critical time in their lives. Time is of the essence. I ask the Leader to treat this issue as a priority and have the Minister come to the House at the next available opportunity in order that we can get to grips with it.