Mentally ill children wait 18 months for assessment

(irishexaminer.com) UP to 150 mentally ill children have had their treatment stopped and will have to wait 18 months to be reassessed because there was no replacement when their doctor left the service.

The children, from Carlow and Kilkenny, have been left to their own devices since their community psychologist took leave of his post in April. The children will also have another delay before their treatment programmes can continue.

Donna Hayden’s son, Dylan, nine, is one of the Kilkenny children involved. He has had his six years of treatment suspended since April and his mother said her son is suffering. “When the doctor left in April (the Health Service Executive) rang everybody, but since then there has been nobody there to monitor the children’s treatment. We have just been left to cope on our own with no support.†(more…)