One mother has detailed to InDaily her struggle to get help for her daughter over the past 18 months, lamenting a lack of critical early intervention.

Data provided by SA Health shows children are waiting an average of four months for specialised outpatient treatment from the statewide paediatric eating disorder service, provided through the Women’s and Children’s Hospital and Flinders Medical Centre.

The average wait from referral to assessment is four weeks and then there is usually another three-month wait for treatment.

Meanwhile, parents are facing roadblocks even if they have the money to pay for private services to try to get help for their children.

Many psychiatrists and psychologists are booked out and have lengthy wait lists.

The website of one eastern suburbs’ clinic which specialises in services for children and adolescents advises “bookings unavailable” for all seven of its clinicians.

A recorded telephone answering message says “our team have had increasing verbal, intimidation and aggression towards them this year”.

Another private clinic’s website says “books closed” for several of its specialists, including its one doctor who specialises in children and adolescents.

It comes after InDaily last month revealed the number of children and young people hospitalised in South Australia for eating disorders jumped by 43 per cent in a year.

SA Health says while children have to wait an average of four months for outpatient treatment, others are admitted to hospital “immediately” for inpatient care where needed via emergency departments or outpatient clinics.

We are actually only helping people who are just about to die

One mother has told InDaily that despite her best efforts she has not been able to get adequate eating disorder support for her teenage daughter for the past 18 months.

“If you have publicly funded psychological support immediately put in place, you prevent these people from getting into crisis,” she said.

“We are actually only helping people who are just about to die.

“You are waiting for people to get so critical before you get any support put in place.”

The mother said she had endured “a continual pattern of ringing psychiatrists and no one will even answer – their voicemail says ‘our books are closed’”.

The mother says her daughter spent a night in the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in July and was discharged, under the impression that Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services would provide follow-up psychiatric support.

But she says when CAMHS contacted her they advised her that the hospital discharge notes indicated her daughter did not require that level of care and others were in more urgent need.

After further advocating, she said CAMHS made an appointment for a psychologist, however the mother believes her daughter is in critical need of a psychiatrist for a diagnosis of a suspected serious mental illness.

“We are coming up to two years of a child living with disordered eating patterns on a daily basis,” she said.

“Just put the support at the beginning, not at the end, and stop people from getting into crisis.”

The mother says when she first started trying to get help for her daughter’s eating problems 18 months ago, she saw a paediatrician who sent her to the WCH emergency department.

There, she says, her daughter was assessed and sent home with a flyer called ‘Healthy Eating for Children’ and a script for anti-psychotic medication.

A spokesperson for SA Health said “we are currently working to reduce wait times by expanding our clinic hours and recruiting additional staff across dietetics, nursing, psychology and psychiatry”.

“Young patients presenting with eating disorders are assessed and triaged in response to their clinical severity and need.

“This allows patients rapid access to inpatient care if required.”

The spokesperson said families were provided with educational materials during this period “which we encourage them to use as preliminary measures prior to specialist care”.

“SA Health is also developing research initiatives to determine how we can be best care for patients awaiting specialist eating disorder care,” the spokesperson said.

Adults with eating disorders are also facing waits for treatment.

SA Health says they wait an average of 30 days from referral to assessment.

If they require planned inpatient support, they wait an average of 40 days for admission.

“During this time we ensure patients are under the care of an outpatient team including psychologist or psychiatrist, dietitian and GP,” SA Health says.

SA Health says that, like children, adults are admitted “immediately” via emergency departments if needed.