A NEW SPECIALIST health unit for teenagers suffering from anxiety, eating disorders and psychosis has opened today in St Patrick’s University Hospital, Dublin.

The Willow Grove Adolescent Inpatient Unit will provide 14 private bedrooms for teenagers in need of care.

St Patrick’s chief executive, Paul Gilligan, said that the unit will provide a service that has been sorely lacking:

Tragically, in the past, many young adults have not had access to such supports. Only last year Patrick’s University Hospital, Dublin, over 200 young people under the age of 18 were treated in adult psychiatric facilities and this is no longer acceptable.

Appropriate support and timely intervention results in significantly improved outcomes. The increase in teenage suicide, particularly among young men, particularly highlights the need for early interventions.

The unit will cater to 14 to 18-year-olds and will offer programmes to help patients with mood, anxiety, eating disorders and psychosis. The average stay for each patient is expected to be about 28 days.

Munster star Paul O’Connell will open the Willow Grove unit.