Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome. Along with Senator Black, I am on the sub-committee on mental health. It is important to be really clear about what CAMHS does. It was outlined in the report that the services provide assessments and treatment for young people up to 18 years of age. The report goes through the various conditions treated. Included are depression, problems with food and eating, self-harm, psychosis, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and anxiety. The report speaks to some of the agencies and groups that support CAMHS. It is quite difficult to read. I realise it has not covered all the CHO areas. It refers very much to children. One hundred and forty files have been lost in the system for two years. This is really hard to hear. It is very difficult to see what the children, their parents and families are going through but I appreciate that the Minister of State is obtaining the information to develop and implement a very rapid response.

Five out of the nine CHOs have been reviewed. My area covers Galway, Roscommon and Mayo, which are in CHO 2. The team there has been in touch with us. Early last year, it gave us an update. I will be looking for another update now. Self-harm and eating disorders are such an issue, particularly for young people. When will the final report be issued? The report we have is an interim report.

The Minister of State mentioned in her opening statement that over 80 psychiatrists are working in this area. I have a question on the recruitment and retention of psychiatrists dealing with the workload in question. What telehealth or e-health supports are being made available? This is a huge area. Even in respect of initial engagement, there should be so many opportunities in terms of telehealth. What innovations is the Minister of State considering? So much funding is put into e-health. What is happening is very frustrating for most of those who work in and use the service. I am sure the Minister of State has similar thoughts on that.

Another role of mine involves the education committee. We brought out the report on mental health supports for children in schools and at third level, in tertiary education. There were a number of recommendations. One, which I called for last week with Deputy Dillon and through Fine Gael, concerned the Youth Mental Health Pathfinder project. The Minister of State spoke about this recently in the Dáil and said there are so many Departments involved. Which Department is taking the lead? Is the Minister of State taking the lead in driving projects like this? She mentioned she is working with several Departments on this. Who is taking the lead? Is any progress being made? It could really make a difference.

Our schools and colleges are seeking to provide supports to young people. This report follows on from a report on bullying, including cyberbullying, produced by the education committee. Again, the findings on the impact of cyberbullying on young people were really shocking. It all leads to different types of mental health issues, including anxiety, stress, withdrawal and self-harm. It is amazing how all these are so tied together. The bullying report came out a year and half ago. With regard to supports available through the FUSE programme and engagement with schools, schools are crying out for counselling supports. Qualified counsellors themselves feel they are not qualified. An article in The Irish Timesyesterday referred to the impact of bullying and described how to identify the symptoms. This does not relate solely to CAMHS, but the society and culture we live in have so many impacts on young people. If the Minister of State could comment on any of these points, I would really appreciate it. I thank her for her time.