The numbers waiting for a child psychology appointment in Kerry and Cork have risen by a quarter in under a year.
Over 4,700 (4,788) children in the area are awaiting appointments for mild or moderate mental health difficulties.
The figures were provided by Cork Kerry Community Healthcare in response to a parliamentary question from Social Democrats TD, Holly Cairns.
4,788 children across Kerry and Cork primary care services are on the psychology waiting list; up from 3,857 in June 2023.
The figures show that 625 children in Kerry are currently awaiting a psychology appointment, of which 312 have been waiting for over a year.
126 are on the waiting list for less than three months; 54 have been waiting between 3 to 6 months; 72 are waiting 6 to 9 months for an appointment, while 61 have been on the waiting list between 9 months and a year.
HSE statistics provided in response to a parliamentary question Social Democrats leader, Holly Cairns, show as of February this year, 122 people are on the list for Child and Adolescents Mental Health Services in Kerry.
66 are awaiting an appointment with North Kerry CAMHS, of which 15 have been waiting for an appointment for over 15 months.
14 have been on the waiting list for up to 3 months; two are awaiting from 3 to 6 months; 145 between 6 to 9 months, 11 are on the waiting list for between 9 months and a year; while 5 have been awaiting an appointment for between 12 to 15 months.
The figures show that 56 people are on the waiting list at South Kerry CAMHS.
22 have been awaiting an appointment for under 3 months; two are waiting between 3 to 6 months; 24 have been on the waiting list between 6 to 9 months; and three between 9 to 12 months.
Meanwhile, four people have been awaiting an appointment with South Kerry CAMHS for between a year and 15 months; while one person has been on the waiting list for over 15 months.
