6 July 2004

The Editor
The Irish Times
D’Olier Street
Dublin 2

Re: Suicidal Children Need In-patient Facilities

Dear Madam

The Irish College of Psychiatrists has requested the Department of Health and Children to provide in-patient treatment facilities for young people in potentially suicidal crisis.  To date there has been no progress in the provision of such facilities.

Young people who are acutely suicidal, are brought by their parents or carers to the Accident and Emergency Departments of the three Children’s Hospitals in Dublin on a regular basis. Most require a period of safe care during which their needs can be assessed and a treatment plan drawn up. Some can be safely managed on the paediatric wards, but others cannot.

Within the past three weeks, in one such Accident and Emergency Department, a twelve year old boy was seen on three separate occasions because he was suicidal and was engaging in very dangerous behaviour, such as standing on a roof ledge threatening to jump off. He could not be admitted to an open paediatric ward because some of his behaviour would have put the safety of the sick children on such wards in danger. He had to be returned to the residential care facility where he was staying, where the staff were doing their best to keep him safe - without the benefit of psychiatric training.

In another Children’s Hospital a fifteen year old girl was admitted to a paediatric ward following a suicide attempt. In a state of agitation she left the ward and the hospital and engaged in a further episode of suicidal behaviour.

Thankfully neither of these situations ended in tragedy. If we had experienced another tragedy there would be an enquiry which would make recommendations for accessible in-patient psychiatric treatment facilities for such children.

Must we wait for such a tragedy to occur?

Yours faithfully

Dr Kate Ganter
Chairman