Nearly 100 children were admitted to adult psychiatric units in the first five months of this year, according to the latest figures from the Mental Health Commission. The figures show that between 1 January 2008 and 31 May 2008, 99 children were admitted to such mental health units while another 60 were taken in by psychiatric units for children.
In other words, about 62 per cent of all children who were admitted to psychiatric facilities in the first five months of the year were taken in by adult mental health units.
However, nearly all of these admissions throughout the Republic — 154 out of 159 — were voluntary. Only five were involuntary admissions.
The statistics also indicate that more females (93) were admitted to psychiatric units than males (66). When the figures are broken down into more specific age brackets, the admissions consisted of: 69 children aged 17 years; 45 aged 16 years; 15 aged 15 years; 17 aged 14 years, and 13 aged 13 years or less.
About Gary Culliton
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