Over 2,500 children and teenagers were waiting to be seen by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) at the end of September 2013, a jump of 24% compared to the same period in 2012, a new report has revealed.

There are currently 66 CAMHS teams in place - 60 community teams, three liaison service teams and three day service teams.

According to the HSE's fifth Annual Report of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, 2,541 young people were waiting to be seen by these teams in 2013, compared to just over 2,000 in 2012.

While most community CAMHS teams had a waiting list of less than 50 people, at least one in four had a waiting list of more than 50 people.

The report showed that between October 2012 and September 2013, over 9,600 new clients were seen by community CAMHS teams, an increase of 11% on the previous year. Meanwhile, more than 12,000 referrals were made to these teams, a 21% increase on the previous year.

According to Dr Brendan Doody, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist and the HSE's national CAMHS advisor, the report ‘shows an increased demand for services'.

"It demonstrates the necessity for continued investment in the development of services to meet this demand, so that children and adolescents can access appropriate services in a timely manner and achieve the best possible outcomes. Supporting the work of our dedicated workforce is key to achieving this most important objective," he commented.

The report noted that of the 9,616 new cases seen by the services, over 1,500 of these were under the age of 16 - a jump of 40% compared to the previous year.

It also revealed that while half of all new cases were seen within one month of referral, 5% had waited up to one year and 4% had waited more than a year to be seen for the first time.

The report also contained an in-depth review of activities by these services in November 2012. During this period, over 8,500 young people were seen, 18% of whom were in contact with, or in the care of, social services. A further 5% had a history of contact with social services.

An analysis of the data from this month revealed that children aged 15 were the most likely to be attending CAMHS, followed by 16 and 17-year-olds.

The most common reason for presentation was ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)/hyperactivity, followed by anxiety.

ADHD peaked in the five to nine age group before declining in adolescence. Depressive disorders increased with age, as did cases of deliberate self-harm and eating disorders.

Almost one in four cases were in treatment less than 13 weeks, however 50% were in treatment for at least one year.

The report also revealed that in 2012, 438 children and teenagers were admitted to inpatient units, 25% of whom were placed in adult centres. This represents a drop from 31% in 2011 and 65% in 2008.

In the nine months prior to September 2013, 68 young people were admitted to adult centres, 21 of whom were subsequently transferred to child and adolescent units.

"With further capacity in child and adolescent units coming on stream in 2014, the number of admissions to adult approved centres should continue to decrease further," the HSE said.