Athlone Mum says her child is being failed by health service

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Athlone mother Anna Boles has spoken of her frustration at the treatment of her 16-year-old daughter by Ireland’s health services.

Anna said her daughter, Katie, is currently seriously ill with anorexia nervosa, spending her third admission of the year in Mullingar Hospital, and her ninth week there in the space of eight months.

Anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder that can become life-threatening. The illness affects both mind and body and requires treatment that addresses both.

Anna said her daughter has been "thrown from one service to another" over the past few years.

"She’s been passed from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to the children’s disability network team to primary care. It was like watching a ping-pong match with my child’s life," said the Athlone resident.

"That went on until she became extremely anxious and depressed."

Katie, who is autistic, first engaged with CAMHS in 2022 because of severe social anxiety.

Her autism diagnosis came in 2023, but Anna feels that there was a lack of coordinated support, which left her daughter vulnerable.

Late last year, Katie began showing early signs of an eating disorder. Anna says she confided that her daughter felt guilty after eating and was restricting her food.

The local teen was assessed by CAMHS but her condition subsequently worsened and, by January, Anna said she unsuccessfully pleaded for Katie to be referred to a specialist eating-disorder service.

Two days after routine blood tests at the GP, Anna was told Katie needed to be brought urgently to Mullingar Hospital, as tests had revealed severe malnutrition and heart irregularities.

Anna believes the failures from services over the years pushed her into a very dangerous place in her mind.

“She’s been battling anorexia nervosa for over a year now and is deteriorating rapidly."

Anna says the central problem is that CAMHS does not seem to provide psychiatric care when a child is physically unwell, while medical wards do not seem to offer mental-health support.

"I’m absolutely disgusted. The HSE says services can’t overlap. So here she is in hospital, starving from anorexia, and lacking the psychiatric care we’ve been begging for from day one," she said.

Anna says her daughter was failed twice, first when she was medically stable but struggling with eating disorder thoughts, and again when she became physically unwell from starvation.

Anna has been in contact with Senator Sharon Keogan, who, in the Seanad, recently highlighted what she said was a lack of integrated services for young people with eating disorders.

"Children are actually dying, dying in hospital, waiting for CAMHS to come into them. They're getting medical intervention, but medical intervention is no good when you have a child that's actually dying," Senator Keogan said, as she addressed Minister of State with responsibility for Mental Health, Mary Butler, in the Seanad.

"What services are there for children with eating disorders in this country, because there's not one bed available in this country.

"I'm not being dramatic, this is what we're dealing with. The children are being failed when it comes to accessing mental health services."

Minister Mary Butler responded: "90% of all eating disorder cases are looked after within the community. We have 15 teams now in place, 13 in resources and two in recruitment.

“I recently went out to Riverside House to open an adult and child team, co-located together, multidisciplinary teams, consultant psychiatrists, psychology, clinical nurse specialists, social workers, the whole way down the line. You can come in here and shout at me that there are no supports, but there are supports.

"People and children with eating disorders [battle] the toughest mental health challenge you can have. These are outpatient services, because 90% of all eating disorders are best served as outpatient. Recovery is very slow, and it can take up to seven years. We have 51 beds for children in Ireland, CAMHS beds, open at the moment. 22 of those are for eating disorders, and I can bring you to Cherry Orchard to show you them beds.

“There are 100 clinicians working on eating disorder teams across the country, there are nine consultant psychiatrists. To say there are no services is factually incorrect, and I would ask you to withdraw that statement."

In conclusion, Minister Butler asked Senator Keogan to bring the private case mentioned to her, and she would see what she could do to assist that person.

In a statement, the HSE said: “The Minister for Mental Health, Mary Butler announced this year that an adult eating disorder team for HSE Dublin and Midlands is being funded under Budget 2025.

“This team is being established in the Midlands which is progressing. Children with an eating disorder are managed through the CAMHS service who work closely with primary care and acute hospitals.

“While the HSE cannot comment on individual cases, we can confirm that both acute services and CAMHS are engaging directly with this service user and their family and care planning is in place,” the HSE statement said.

Anna Boles said she would like to see a more joined-up, multidisciplinary approach for children and teenagers with eating disorders.

"There should be mental-health professionals working with children in hospital, guiding them through mealtimes, giving therapy and support every day, while the medical team gets them physically stable," she said.

"It’s not just about feeding them; it’s about helping them fight the disorder in their mind. That’s the only way to get lasting recovery."

She also wants clearer communication and accountability between services. "Families shouldn’t be stuck chasing referrals or repeating their story to every new service," Anna said.

The local mother is also calling for greater awareness and understanding for children with autism or sensory issues.

"Katie is very vulnerable and socially anxious. Sending her to a programme or group that isn’t adapted for her needs would have been traumatic," she said.

She said she was speaking out publicly to push for change, not just for Katie, but for all families battling with anorexia across Ireland and facing the same ordeal.

"Katie has nothing to be ashamed of. These children are ill, and the system is failing them. All I want is for her to get better, and for no other family to watch their child fall between services like this," Anna said.