Mental health patients left houseless after Athalassa treatment, MPs hear

Local healthmental healthparliamentTop News Mental health patients left houseless after Athalassa treatment, MPs hear Mental Health Patients Left Houseless After Athalassa Treatment, Mps Hear Relevant News Cyprus gives viewers three more months on old TV platform after transition issues 10 July 2026 Mental health patients left houseless after Athalassa treatment, MPs hear 10 July 2026 On this day: The Battle of Britain began in World War Two, in 1940 10 July 2026 Marilena Panayi 10 July 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Patients remain unsupported or even houseless after treatment at Athalassa Hospital, families live with the stigma of mental illness, judges will not issue compulsory treatment orders unless a patient is at a stage where they threaten to kill someone or take their own life, and children who are victims of abuse do not receive the support they need when one parent, in some cases the abuser, withholds consent. The competent ministries, meanwhile, are still trying to divide responsibilities between themselves. The testimony of a representative of organisations representing mental health patients and their families, given at a session of the parliamentary Health Committee, laid bare the stigma faced by mental health patients and their families, as well as flaws in procedures still applied in Cyprus that leave people in despair. Speaking to MPs, the representative described what a family goes through in seeking a compulsory treatment order through the courts, and said stigma does exist. She explained that families do not wait until the last moment out of fear, but because judges will not sign an order if they apply at the first signs of relapse, sending them away to wait until the patient reaches the point of threatening to kill someone or attempt suicide. She said the stigma is very intense, and described further problems, including waiting six to seven days on one occasion for police to execute an order because it was hunting season and other priorities took precedence. She also described an occasion when a police officer travelling in a patrol car to collect her brother stopped at the village coffee shop to greet an acquaintance and told him he was on his way to detain him. She said that on one occasion, after going through the full court and police process, the family was called by Athalassa Hospital fifteen days later to collect the patient, because new patients kept arriving and there was no space, and that one summer the patrol car came to their home four times to transport the patient to hospital. She said families are never asked or supported, and that while families are sometimes strong, at other times they cannot cope, adding that this is not the families’ fault, and that unlike families of drug users, there is no institutionalised support for families of mental health patients. Addressing MPs directly, she said they should look beyond the 15 chronic patients who remain at Athalassa Hospital for years, and see how many families live with mental illness, with homes and rooms turned into what she called “small institutions,” adding that there is no training for families and that she made every mistake possible before seeking help and information on her own. Her testimony reportedly had a strong impact on the room, though not all the material she presented could be examined, and the Committee had to adjourn the session due to lack of time. Children left without support The Commissioner for the Protection of Children’s Rights, Elena Perikleous, stressed the need to strengthen services offered to children, highlighting the absence of national planning covering what she called “the integration of children and adolescents, which is currently addressed only in a fragmented way.” She gave the example of children who do not receive the support services they need if both parents do not consent, saying abused children need long-term support, but do not receive it if both parents do not consent, even when the parent who disagrees is the abuser and is in prison. The Commissioner also referred to the need for cooperation between all state services and all involved ministries, as well as prevention through early diagnosis and support for children, saying: “We need a reform that covers all the issues.” Ministries still divided over responsibilities The long-running dispute between state departments over responsibilities and duties resurfaced in the discussion, when, responding to questions on support for mental health patients after discharge and on housing and support services, the representative of the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare said some issues do not fall under the Social Welfare Services, referring to nursing and medical monitoring and the administration of medication. She said Social Welfare Services officers “do not have such knowledge.” Her comments prompted a response from SHSO, under which the Mental Health Services operate, with its representatives stressing that Mental Health Services handle matters relating to mental illness and patient care, and saying that if the state wants them to take on all responsibilities, it should decide accordingly and they would take them on. The disagreement between the competent state services drew strong criticism from MPs, who called on the two ministries involved to finally proceed with defining their responsibilities. Patient transfers from Monday, Phase B costs €30-40 million On the issue of overcrowding at Athalassa Hospital, and progress on the second and third phases of the new mental health hospital, SHSO representatives said solutions were already under way. From Monday, SHSO is increasing the number of available beds in mental health units operating at Nicosia and Limassol hospitals, while additional beds have also been secured from the Christos Stelios Ioannou Foundation, which responded positively to the Organisation’s request. SHSO’s general financial director, Roberto Karachannas, said the viability study for the second phase of the project has already been submitted to the Ministry of Finance for evaluation. A Ministry of Finance representative confirmed the study is under examination, adding that the necessary funding has already been approved. The Ministry of Finance has sent its comments on the study and is awaiting SHSO’s response, the representative said. According to figures presented to Parliament, the cost of the second phase of Athalassa Hospital is estimated at between €30 and €40 million. Read more: Athalassa’s psychiatric hospital faces severe overcrowding Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Cyprus gives viewers three more months on old TV platform after transition issues On this day: The Battle of Britain began in World War Two, in 1940 British Hollywood star Clive Owen shoots thriller Scorpion in Cyprus Bangladesh’s Hasina plans December return with party colleagues to surrender Police hunt more suspects after Xylophagou clash involving 20 Replica of mosque set alight on bonfire condemned in Northern Ireland Eleven killed in fast-moving southern Spain wildfire, officials say Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.