A total of 752 mentally ill children have been waiting more than a year for treatment from the HSE.
That’s almost twice as many as a year ago, when 385 kids were waiting more than 12 months.
New figures, obtained by The Irish Mirror, show there are 4,490 children on the waiting list for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.
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That’s around 1,000 more than at the same point last year.
Almost 40 per cent of the youngsters have been waiting more than six months for treatment.
CAMHS provides specialist care for children and adolescents with moderate to severe mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders and those who self-harm.
Professor of psychiatry in Trinity College Dublin, Brendan Kelly, said the waiting lists are completely unacceptable.
He added: "Children and adolescents who need mental health care require urgent intervention. These are valuable years for education, socialisation and development.
"Approximately one young person in every five suffers from a mental illness requiring support, psychological treatment or other interventions.
"Of all adults with mental illness, 75 per cent report that symptoms began before the age of 25.
"For children and adolescents, it is critical that services are continuously improved and that care is coordinated with parents, schools and other stakeholders."
Kerry and Cork are by far the worst affected areas of all the community healthcare organisations around the country.
A total of 882 children are on the waiting lists in the two counties, with 341 waiting more than a year.
The figures were released to Sinn Fein’s health spokesman David Cullinane, who is calling for urgent action.
Mr Cullinane said: "CAMHS services are chronically underfunded and waiting lists are growing year-on-year. Children with mental health challenges are being failed by a poorly resourced system.
"We need a comprehensive workforce plan that identifies staffing gaps and substantially increases training places.
"There needs to be changes within youth mental health, from top to bottom.
"Young people are being let down and left behind by the Government and this cannot be allowed to continue."
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