The need for the help of mental health care specialists for children and young people is so great that currently the queue for the first consultation with a child psychiatrist in the Children’s Psychiatry Clinic of the Children’s Hospital is almost six months, unless the patient needs to be admitted urgently. Last year, outpatient psychiatrists of the Children’s Hospital provided 7,410 consultations, which is 30% more than the year before.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of self-harming children who sought help at the Children’s Psychiatry Clinic has approximately doubled, the number of patients with mood disorders has also approximately doubled, and the number of children with eating disorders has increased by approximately a third. The number of patients with stress-related mental disorders and depression who came to the clinic has also noticeably increased. Worryingly, many more patients come to us in an acute condition than before, and the demand for psychiatric consultations in other departments is also increasing. That is why it is very important to expand the availability of state-paid help and offer modern services in multidisciplinary teams of specialists,” says Nikita Bezborodovs, head of the Children’s Psychiatry Clinic at the Children’s Hospital.
In order to be able to provide more extensive help to children and young people with mental health disorders, a Children and Youth Mental Health Center is being built on the territory of the Children’s Hospital, which will open its doors at the end of 2023. The total area of the child and youth mental health center building will be 4,100 m2, in which more patients will be able to receive inpatient help at the same time than currently in the premises of the Gailezers Children’s Hospital. The total cost of construction is 9,526,024 euros, i.e. see European Union Regional Fund support in the amount of 5,067,189 euros.
“The demand for child psychiatrists and other specialists who provide help to children and young people with mental disorders is increasing. Everything is being done to attract new specialists, but forecasts show that the number of patients with severe mental disorders will continue to increase in the Children’s Hospital. In order to be able to provide wider assistance to children and young people with mental health disorders, both inpatient and outpatient, larger and more modern facilities are also needed, suitable for the various needs of patients. The construction of the child and youth mental health center is the most significant investment in the children’s mental health infrastructure in Latvia in recent years,” says Iluta Riekstiņa, a member of the board of the Children’s Hospital.
“The Center for Mental Health of Children and Youth is being created at a time when an unprecedented number of children and adolescents who are experiencing mental health difficulties are seeking help. Not everyone needs individual specialist consultation, but many parents are faced with uncertainty about how to evaluate changes in the development, mood and behavior of their young or adolescent child. I believe that together we will manage to create such a Children and Youth Mental Health Center, where children and parents will receive professional and human help in a supportive and pleasant environment!” says Liene Dambiņa, head of the Children’s Hospital Foundation (BSF).
At the moment, the available financial resources cannot cover all needs, therefore the support of donors is needed – the Children’s Hospital and BSF in cooperation with Rimi Latvia continue collecting donations. You can donate to the establishment of the Children’s and Youth Mental Health Center on the BSF website www.bsf.lv, as well as from March 16 to the beginning of May in donation boxes in Rimi stores throughout Latvia, in the Rimi e-store and by donating to My Rimi savings.
