Long waiting lists for mental health services 'totally unacceptable'
Outrage is being expressed over the state of children's mental health services.
Some 5,954 children were waiting for a primary care psychology appointment June end 2017, of which 1,784 are waiting over a year.
Fianna Fáil Mental Health spokesperson James Browne said that now that we've encouraged our young people to come forward for help, it is unacceptable that so many are now left waiting for so long.
"The stigma around mental health services is decreasing, and we are increasingly encouraging people to reach out, to say it's OK not to be OK, and to say so," he said.
"But when children and teenagers are reaching out to their parents, or to support networks, and they are seeking the support to help them recover, and assess the situation they're in, they're being put on to extremely long waiting lists and it's totally unacceptable."
