Latest news with #CAHMS
Irish Independent
30-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Wexford mental health group hosts its first meeting in County Hall – ‘Everyone experiencing difficulty must be supported'
At their inaugural meeting on Friday last, the ten councillors (Aidan Browne, Aoife Rose O'Brien, Craig Doyle, Frank Staples, Jackser Owens, Leonard Kelly, Mary Farrell, Michael Sheehan, Raymond Shannon and Tom Forde) selected Cllr Aoife Rose O'Brien as the chairperson of the newly-established Mental Health Services Working Group. "I am truly honoured to be appointed as chairperson for this working group,' said Cllr O'Brien. 'Mental health is a priority issue for me, I have lost friends to suicide and suffered greatly with my own mental health, and sadly this is not unique. I am not ashamed to admit that I have struggled; mental health is a part of whole health and at times I believe we all suffer. "For me the priority now is to ensure that every person experiencing difficulty is supported; whether that's access to talk-therapy, or psychiatric availability in times of crisis. As a county we have been failed to date and denied these crucial services. We have been reliant on local charity providers, whose commitments to our communities will never go unnoticed, but it's time for the HSE to step up." Describing the rest of the committee as 'incredibly strong members, many of whom have experienced their own suffering', Cllr O'Brien said she and the group would now be focusing on delivering what Wexford needs: a 24/7 mental health crisis unit. 'In addition, we will work on other areas of service, including Child Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS) and residential care units. It's time for us to come together now and deliver for the people of Wexford.'
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Doctors said my son was just a fussy eater. But we always knew the truth'
A Cardiff mum is calling for more education on eating disorders and mental illnesses in children after she had to "fight for support" for her nine-year-old son. Jodie Morris, 32, says that her son's avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) and anxiety were not taken seriously by his doctors and teachers and she was made to feel like a "crazy mum". After suffering from a sickness bug when he was six-years-old, Jodie's son Jae has developed disordered eating stemming from his emetophobia - the phobia of vomiting. Jodie said following months of dismissed referrals, Jae was diagnosed with anxiety disorder in January 2024 and ARFID in June 2024. ARFID is an eating disorder that can effect people of all ages and does not develop due to beliefs about weight or body shape. Stay informed on the latest health news by signing up to our newsletter here READ MORE: The nine-year-old boy whose dream is to be able to stand up and go to school READ MORE: Common cooking ingredient could increase risk of breast cancer, warns top doctor There are multiple possible reasons for the development of ARFID, including a past experience with food that resulted in upset. Significant levels of fear can cause the person concern about the consequences of eating and therefore lead to them avoiding food or restrictive eating. Jodie noticed that after Jae had a sickness bug he began to hide food, throw it on the floor, stop eating meals and restricting what he was eating. Jodie said as well as his struggles with eating, Jae also became anxious and, once a social butterfly, he has refrained from going to social events, extra-curricular activities and spending time with friends and family. Speaking to Jae's GP about his anxiety and eating, he was first referred to a paediatric dietician who Jodie claims wouldn't help with the then 7-year-old's disordered eating, saying that he would need to see a specialist. Jae was referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services [CAMHS] for assessments in November 2023 but Jodie said her son did not get the help he needed from his initial assessments. She said: "I had to do an assessment with the health psychology team. They came back and said that they couldn't do anything because he didn't have any serious illnesses. "We went back to CAMHS to have another assessment with them. They said that his eating issues were completely dismissed in his first assessment but she did pick up on his anxiety. They said 'He does need anxiety management and we've placed him on a list.' "CAHMS said we had to go back to the dietician but when we went back to the dietician they said that all of it was specialist based so they couldn't help." Jodie continued to fight for the support her son needed with his eating and said that for months she had referrals constantly rejected from CAHMS but no indication was given to her as to why. Jodie was also once told by a doctor that her son was just a "fussy eater" and that they weren't sure what ARFID really was. Feeling like she wasn't being taken seriously, Jodie took Jae to see a private eating disorder specialist who then wrote clinical notes for Jae's GP about her concerns that Jae had an eating disorder. Jodie said: "Multiple referrals were sent to CAMHS and at the time they were completely dismissed, they refused all the referrals. So then I found a private dietitian who would see Jae. We went to see her a couple of times, she's an eating disorder specialist who does private work and NHS work. And I think if it wasn't for her, I don't think they would have ever accepted the referrals." In April 2024, CAHMS accepted a referral from Jae's GP after the clinical notes from the private dietician were read. In June 2024, after months of trying to get medical help for her son, it was confirmed to Jodie that he had a formal diagnosis of ARFID. She said: "When we went for the assessment with the eating disorder team, the eating disorder specialist dietician instantly said that he'd take Jae on. I then had to wait three days to hear back from them because it was handed to a multidisciplinary team, a dietitian and paediatrician and the lead of the eating disorder team. "They contacted me three days later and they said he now has a formal diagnosis of ARFID. That phone call I thought my legs were going to give way because I was like, 'oh my God, finally someone is actually listening'." Before getting a formal diagnosis, Jodie said she has had to "fight for support" from the school that Jae attends in Cardiff. For over a year and a half, Jae has been unable to eat his meals with the other children at lunchtime and break time due to his anxiety around eating in front of people. Jodie said: "Shortly after he was sick, he started throwing food on the floor while he was in school or hiding his food and this went on for a long period of time. He hasn't eaten in the dinner hall in school due to anxiety [for] over a year and a half because he gets too overwhelmed and nervous eating in front of people. "It was hard at first because it was misunderstood what it was. He spent the majority of year three eating with his friend in a classroom. Then in year four he would either eat in the classroom or in the corridor with a friend. Now he has supervision at lunchtime. "He does have days where he doesn't eat due to how he's feeling but the support that he gets now at lunchtime is really good and he feels comfortable with the person he does that with." Before Jae's diagnosis, Jodie says that "nothing was taken seriously" by both doctors and his school. Jodie said she was made to feel like a "crazy mum" so she felt so much relief when she was finally able to tell the school that Jae had been diagnosed by CAHMS because now her son is able to get the support he needs. She said: "When I notified the school he had a formal diagnosis, from that day everyone took me seriously and it wasn't just one crazy mum. "I felt like people were thinking 'she's just some crazy mum'. I was made to believe that I was going crazy at one point, I was second guessing everything." During the difficulties Jodie and Jae have faced in getting support, Jodie said Jae opened up to her about his feelings that nobody understood what he was going through. When the psychology team at CAHMS confirmed Jae's anxiety in January 2024, he was put on a waiting list for anxiety management to help him deal with his anxiety, understand it better and in turn manage it. Jodie was first told it would be a six month wait, but this turned to nine to 12 months. Jae was eventually seen in March this year and has now begun his anxiety management. He now also receives support from the eating disorder team and is having to drink supplement drinks to ensure he gets the nutrients he needs. Jodie believes there is not enough knowledge and awareness for young children with eating disorders and mental illnesses in both schools and in the NHS and believes things need to change. She said: "All of the support that Jae now has, I have had to fight for because there is not enough awareness." A spokesperson for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: "We know how important timely care is for patients and their families and we apologise for the delays Jae has experienced. While we are unable to comment on individual patient cases, we would encourage Ms Morris to contact our Concerns Team if she would like to discuss any aspect of Jae's care further."
