scholarly journals HappyMaps: a single hub of resources on children and young people's mental health for parents and professionals

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S26-S26
Author(s):  
Georgina Griffiths ◽  
Jasmin Krischer ◽  
Cara Roberts-Collins ◽  
Elaine Lunts
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Waiting Times ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Self Help ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Future Work

AimsMental health issues in children and young people are a growing concern and the benefits of intervening early are well established for many mental health problems, but existing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are often over-stretched with variable waiting times for assessment. Many children also have problems which do not reach the referral thresholds and parents are left to find advice elsewhere. Existing resources for parents are scattered across many different websites and therefore difficult to access both for parents and professionals working with young people. With this in mind, and in consultation with CAMHS Bristol and many other stake-holders (including parents themselves) we designed an easily navigable website intended as a single comprehensive portal of resources for parents of children with mental illness and difficulties.MethodQualitative research methods were used to gather information about how the website should be designed and also to gather feedback once the website was live. Focus groups were performed with parents/carers and stakeholder discussions took place to inform the design of the website. Once the website was live, surveys via a Survey Monkey link on the website and Google Analytics were used to evaluate the website.Result60,000 users have utilised the website since the launch in March 2019. Two thirds of users are women and one third are men. Most popular webpages that are visited are primary, secondary, help-in -a-crisis and self-help for young people. Positive feedback has been collected from both parents/carers and service providers. The website has continued to develop and is now a registered charity and has received community lottery funding, which will allow for further evaluation and developments.ConclusionHappyMaps has been successful in providing a single hub of information for parents/carers, GPs, CAMHS workers and teachers. Future work involves evaluating the website and attracting interest from other CAMHS teams and professionals in other areas of the UK so that they can create HappyMaps sections for their populations.

scholarly journals Children and Young People's Improving Access to Psychological Therapies: inspiring innovation or more of the same?

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sami Timimi
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Young People ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Psychological Therapies ◽  
Common Mental Health Problems ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
The Uk

SummaryIn 2007 the UK Government announced a substantial expansion of funding for psychological therapies for those presenting with common mental health problems. This ‘Improving Access to Psychological Therapies’ (IAPT) project was widely welcomed, however, evidence backed, economic, and conceptual critiques were voiced from the start and the project remains controversial. In 2011, the UK government announced it was extending the IAPT project to encompass services for children and young people with the aim of ‘transforming’ the way mental health services are delivered to them. Here I critically reflect on the problems associated first with IAPT and then with CYP-IAPT and ponder whether CYP-IAPT is significantly different to the problematic adult IAPT project or more of the same.

Youth mental health competencies in regional general practice

2020 ◽  
pp. 103985622097005
Author(s):  
Oliver Smith ◽  
Jessica Bergmann ◽  
Ulrich Schall
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mental Health Problem ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Young Patients ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Young Person ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Hunter Region

Objective: General practitioners (GPs) are key health professionals for referrals to mental health specialists. Youth mental health issues are particularly challenging, requiring a competent assessment and understanding of appropriate referral pathways. We surveyed local GPs about their understanding of youth mental health problems and needs to competently look after young patients. Methods: GPs working in the Hunter region were contacted via email, fax and post over a 6-month period in 2019. Results: Seventy-five GPs participated. They reported 577 of 1698 (34%) of young people seen 2 weeks prior to being surveyed presented with a mental health problem. Predominantly, referrals were to private practice psychologists and Headspace. Almost a third (31%) reported having limited understanding of ‘at-risk mental state’ and are ‘not always comfortable’ when facing a young person with a mental health problem. Nearly all (95%) expressed interest in attending specialised training. GPs identified treatment costs, scarce access to psychiatrists and limited patient engagement as the main obstacles to help young people. Conclusions: Effective treatment of a mental health problem relies on early identification. GPs are seeing young people on a regular basis but don’t feel well equipped for this task and are keen to up-skill, which needs to be addressed by targeted training.

Recovery Star: validating user recovery

2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoff Dickens ◽  
Judy Weleminsky ◽  
Yetunde Onifade ◽  
Philip Sugarman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Mental Health Recovery ◽  
Addictive Behaviour ◽  
Health Service Providers ◽  
The Uk

Aims and methodMental Health Recovery Star is a multifaceted 10-item outcomes measure and key-working tool that has been widely adopted by service providers in the UK. We aimed to explore its factorial validity, internal consistency and responsiveness. Recovery Star readings were conducted twice with 203 working-age adults with moderate to severe mental health problems attending a range of mental health services, and a third time with 113 of these individuals.ResultsMental Health Recovery Star had high internal consistency and appeared to measure an underlying recovery-oriented construct. Results supported a valid two-factor structure which explained 48% of variance in Recovery Star ratings data. Two Recovery Star items (‘relationships’ and ‘addictive behaviour’) did not load onto either factor. There was good statistically significant item responsiveness, and no obvious item redundancy. Data for a small number of variables were not normally distributed and the implications of this are discussed.Clinical implicationsRecovery Star has been received enthusiastically by both mental health service providers and service users. This study provides further evidence for its adoption in recovery-focused mental health services and indicates that items relating to addictive behaviour, responsibilities and work could be further developed in future.

scholarly journals Unexpected deaths of children and young people in the UK

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Stallard ◽  
Michelle Maguire ◽  
Justin Daddow ◽  
Rosie Shepperd ◽  
Mike Foster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Young People ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Child Death ◽  
National Data ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
National Health Service Trust ◽  
Incident Reports ◽  
The Uk

Aims and methodTo review the deaths of children and young people who took their own life. We conducted a retrospective analysis of serious incident reports from a National Health Service trust and reviews by the child death overview panels of the local safeguarding children boards.ResultsWe identified 23 deaths, with annual rates varying considerably between local authorities and over time. Over half of the children (n = 13, 56%) were not known to specialist child and adolescent mental health services, with 11 having no contact with any agency at the time of their death. Hanging was the most common method (n = 20, 87%) and of these, half (n =11, 55%) were low-level hangings.Clinical implicationsTraining is required to improve awareness, recognition and the assessment of children at risk of taking their own life. Specialist child mental health services should directly assess plans or attempts at hanging and offer advice about the seriousness of attempting this. National data (by age) on children and young people who take their own life should be routinely published to inform clinical and preventive services.

scholarly journals Mental Health Provision in UK Secondary Schools

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 12222
Author(s):  
Megan Garside ◽  
Barry Wright ◽  
Roshanak Nekooi ◽  
Victoria Allgar
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
The North ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Mental Health Questionnaire

Research reports high levels of mental health problems faced by young people in the UK. Schools provide a range of mental health support services, although these are often not robustly evaluated. This paper aims to explore the mental health provision of secondary schools across two large regions in the North of England and provide comparisons to the mental health questionnaire scores of their pupils. Results are part of a wider study providing an overview of the mental health of secondary school pupils. Measures include the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, distributed to year 8, 9, and 11 pupils attending secondary schools and a bespoke mental health service provision questionnaire for school staff at the same schools. A total of 6328 pupil questionnaires and 36 staff questionnaires were returned from 21 schools. Results showed a non-significant correlation between provision and young people’s mental health scores and highlight a range of factors to take into consideration. There is a need to improve the evaluation and recording of school-based mental health provision. Mental health difficulties in young people are prevalent in schools. Future research is needed to elucidate which types of services are most helpful in preventing, supporting, and signposting those with mental health problems.

scholarly journals Telephone-guided self-help for mental health difficulties in neurological conditions: a randomised pilot trial

2021 ◽  
pp. archdischild-2019-318577
Author(s):  
Sophie D Bennett ◽  
Isobel Heyman ◽  
Anna E Coughtrey ◽  
Sophia Varadkar ◽  
Terence Stephenson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Primary Outcome ◽  
Outcome Measure ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Pilot Trial ◽  
Primary Outcome Measure ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Neurological Conditions

ObjectiveThis study aimed to conduct a randomised pilot trial to assess the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to investigate the effect of telephone-guided self-help for the treatment of mental health difficulties in children with neurological conditions.DesignPreliminary RCT. The primary outcome measure was the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.SettingNeurology clinics in a national tertiary paediatric hospital.PatientsYoung people attending neurology clinics who met criteria for mental health difficulties according to the Development and Wellbeing Assessment.Interventions12 weeks of telephone-guided self-help based on a modular approach to psychological therapy for children delivered to children and/or their parents (n=17; eight males; mean age 12.04 years, SD=3.34) or a waiting list for telephone-guided self-help with no additional intervention over 12 weeks (n=17; nine males; mean age 10.53 years, SD=3.14).Results124 participants completed the DAWBA, and 34 children and young people were entered into the trial. 65% of those randomised to the intervention arm completed the full intervention, and the intervention was acceptable to those completing it. However, there were significant problems related to lack of data completion (38% data loss for primary outcome measure), choice of control comparator and outcome measures. Due to significant loss of data at follow-up, the effect size findings are considered unreliable.ConclusionsFurther feasibility work should be conducted to improve data completeness before progression to a definitive trial of guided self-help for mental health problems in children with neurological conditions can be recommended.Trial registration numberISRCTN21184717.

scholarly journals Perceived barriers to care for migrant children and young people with mental health problems and/or neurodevelopmental differences in high-income countries: a meta-ethnography

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. e045923
Author(s):  
Vanessa Place ◽  
Benjamin Nabb ◽  
Ester Gubi ◽  
Karima Assel ◽  
Johan Åhlén ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Barriers To Care ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
High Income ◽  
Migrant Children ◽  
Perceived Barriers ◽  
Qualitative Evidence Synthesis ◽  
Children And Young People

ObjectivesTo develop conceptual understanding of perceived barriers to seeking care for migrant children and young people (aged 0–25 years) with mental health problems and/or neurodevelopmental differences in high-income countries.DesignQualitative evidence synthesis using meta-ethnography methodology. We searched four electronic databases (Medline, PsycINFO, Global Health and Web of Science) from inception to July 2019 for qualitative studies exploring barriers to care (as perceived by migrant communities and service providers) for migrant children and young people in high-income countries with neurodevelopmental differences and/or mental health problems. The quality of included studies was explored systematically using a quality assessment tool.ResultsWe screened 753 unique citations and 101 full texts, and 30 studies met our inclusion criteria. We developed 16 themes representing perceived barriers to care on the supply and demand side of the care-seeking process. Barriers included: stigma; fear and mistrust of services; lack of information on mental health and service providers lacking cultural responsiveness. Themes were incorporated into Levesque et al’s conceptual framework of patient-centred access to healthcare, creating a version of the framework specific to migrant children and young people’s mental health and neurodevelopmental differences.ConclusionsThis is the first qualitative evidence synthesis on barriers to care for mental health problems and/or neurodevelopmental differences in migrant children and young people in high-income countries. We present an adapted conceptual framework that will help professionals and policy-makers to visualise the complex nature of barriers to care, and assist in improving practice and designing interventions to overcome them. Similar barriers were identified across study participants and migrant populations. While many barriers were also similar to those for children and young people in general populations, migrant families faced further, specific barriers to care. Interventions targeting multiple barriers may be required to ensure migrant families reach care.

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