'Progress' in child mental healthcare

Almost 300 vulnerable children and adolescents are waiting a year or more to be assessed by mental health teams despite official policies that emphasise the importance of early intervention.

However, official figures released by the Health Service Executive also show significant progress is being made in increasing the volume of assessments and reducing waiting times.

Attention deficit disorders are the most frequent issues among young people in need of support, followed by anxiety, depressive disorders, self-harm and eating disorders.

The figures show 1,897 children and adolescents were waiting to be seen by mental health services at the end of September 2011. This represents a decrease of 20 per cent from the total number waiting at the same time last year.

Of those waiting, 35 per cent were waiting less then three months, and 25 per cent were waiting between three and six months for an appointment.

A further 25 per cent were waiting between six months and a year, while another 15 per cent were waiting for a year or more.

When the figures are broken down by new cases, they show that some 45 per cent of referrals are seen within one month and and just under 70 per cent within three months.

An analysis of the figures show adolescents from the 15-year-old age group are most likely to be attending child and adolescent mental health services, followed by children aged 10 to 14 years.

They show that depressive disorders increase with age, accounting for a quarter (24 per cent) of adolescents aged 15 and upwards.

Deliberate self-harm also increases with age and accounts for 8 per cent of the primary presentations of those aged 15 and older. When broken down by new cases, deliberate self-harm or suicidal thoughts account for some 22 per cent of new cases in this age group.

Unveiling the report today, Minister of State with responsibility for mental health Kathleen Lynch said early intervention was vital for young people with mental health issues.

"We know that early intervention leads to the best health outcomes and reduces the likelihood of a long term debilitating mental illness," she said.

Ms Lynch said she was committed to advancing service provision for young people, despite pressure on the public finances.

She paid tribute to the HSE's "considerable progress" in the delivery of child and adolescent mental health services, particularly in the community based services.