Teen in adult mental health unit to be transferred on Wednesday

The 14-year-old receiving treatment at Athalassa psychiatric hospital will be transferred to the Makarios hospital on Wednesday, Okypy announced after intense criticism.

Earlier in the day, the Pasydy union described the conditions there as utterly unacceptable for a minor.

“Under no circumstances should this boy be in Athalassa,” head of Pasydy’s mental health branch Andreas Andreou told the Cyprus Mail. Currently, the Makarios hospital has its own inpatient unit for minors suffering with mental health issues called Tene but its eight beds are full.

The conditions in Athalassa are no better, Andreou said. The capacity at the hospital is 100 beds however there are currently 139 individuals there.

“People are happy if they sleep on the bed instead of a couch or mattress on the floor.”

Pasydy highlighted that hospitalising a minor with adults is a traumatic experience, which can only worsen an existing problem.
“This is unacceptable, a solution needs to be found.”

Andreou said the union had tried to find a solution “but this did not reap any results.

“It’s not on us to find solutions. We’ve been talking about these problems for years but no one does anything.”

The union rep said it was common knowledge that with Covid, mental health problems would only be highlighted and they had been issuing warnings for a long time calling on the state to take action in advance.

“In this country, there is planning for everything. But for mental health, this is absent.

“The psychiatric hospital is currently in a tragic condition. Something must be done.”