200 children admitted to adult mental hospitals last year

Competition for places in adult mental hospitals is set to continue this year, as new information shows 113 children were allocated places between January and June. It is expected that by October child admissions will have surpassed last year’s figure, which is close to 200.

‘The Central Mental Hospital is the big one,’ said Cillian Healy of the Irish Prison Service. ‘There's an overspill from the prisons so kids are often sent here. But they like it. CMH is a 105 bed campus. Its Dundrum location gives it a certain allure for youngsters who have heard about the Town Centre.'

‘After Dundrum you have a number of institutions fighting for second place,’ continued Mr Healy. ‘Vincent’s in Fairview is very popular. It’s kind of a boutique psychiatric hospital in a Victorian building. St. Conal’s in Donegal was popular when part of the hospital housed the Science Department of Letterkenny IT. But since the walls started falling in that demand has dropped.’

The Mental Health Commission is running a number of open days for young offenders this autumn. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Barry Andrews, is expected to attend all of the larger events.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday Mr Andrews made the following comments: 'The idea is to say to these kids - if we can't fit you in the Joy, Portlaoise or wherever, which psychiatric institution would you prefer? Overcrowding is rife in Irish prisons, so we might as well be realistic.'

Mental Health Commission spokesman Frank Keogh said it was initially feared that housing juvenile offenders with mentally unstable adults would have adverse effects on the youngsters. ‘Au contraire,’ he told reporters. ‘Young offenders like adult company. It makes them feel mature.’