Official opening of North Louth CAMHS in Earl House in Dundalk

^{Photo L-R: Dr Martina Begley, CAMHS Consultant ; Eugene Meehan, Area Director of Nursing Louth/Meath Mental Health Services;  Dervila Eyres, Head of Mental Health Services Community Health Organisation Midlands Louth Meath; Minster of State for Mental Health & Older People Mary Butler; Senator Erin McGreehan ; Dr Bernadette McCabe, Executive Clinical Director Louth Meath Mental Health Services}

Minister of State for Mental Health & Older People Mary Butler officially opened North Louth Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services in Earl House, Dundalk on Tuesday.

North Louth Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) is a specialist service for people under the age of 18 with mental health difficulties. The service offers assessment and treatment to young people and their families, who have been identified by their GP or another senior clinician, to be experiencing a mental health disorder that is having a moderate to severe impact on their quality of life, and require the input of a multi-disciplinary team.

Some conditions treated in CAMHS include:

• moderate to severe depression
• anxiety
• eating disorders
• self-harm
• CAMHS also provides the assessment and management of ADHD 

CAMHS is a multi-disciplinary service offering interventions for young people experience moderate to severe mental health difficulties. A CAMHS team is made up of many different roles and professionals - the team consists of Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, NCHD, Psychologists, Nurses, Social Workers, Occupational Therapists, Speech & Language Therapist and administration staff. 

Dervila Eyres, Head of Mental Health Services for Midlands Louth Meath Community Healthcare Organisation said: “For many years the young people of Dundalk and surrounding areas, from as far north as Omeath for example had to travel to Drogheda to access mental health services.

"This was extremely difficult for young people and families at times of such high distress. Since November 2020 they have been able to access their local CAMHS service within their own community area in Dundalk. Earl House provides a premises that our young people and families deserve, which is accessible, well-equipped and fit for purpose”. 

Officially opening the service in Earl House, Minister Butler said that she was confident that service is delivering a service that is making a big difference in the lives of young people by providing timely high quality assessment and treatment of mental health difficulties for young people and their families.

“North Louth CAMHS are providing a quality service for local young people and families in the area in a fit for purpose building. I know that the service and its staff have kept working in new and innovative ways to respond to the challenges of COVID-19 restrictions and the subsequent consequences on the mental health of our young people.

"I’m delighted to officially open CAMHS in Earl House which will ensure that the community will continue to receive a quality multidisciplinary service in a facility they deserve.”