scholarly journals Conflating risk and mental illness

2021 ◽  

In this thoughtful article, a young person, Anna, reflects on her experience of risk being conflated with mental illness in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), highlighting crucial lessons for clinicians, commissioners, and policy makers.

2009 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 467-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce John Tonge ◽  
Jill Marie Pullen ◽  
Georgina Catherine Hughes ◽  
Jeanette Beaufoy

Objective: The aim of this naturalistic longitudinal study was to examine the effectiveness of individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy in reducing symptoms and improving overall functioning for adolescents with severe mental illness beyond the changes observed with treatment as usual. Changes to family functioning were also examined. Method: Participants at 12 month follow up were 55 of an initial group of 80 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services patients with complex, severe mental illness (32 female, mean age = 15.11 years). At initial assessment 40 participants were offered psychoanalytic psychotherapy when a psychotherapist became available; 23 accepted and received once- or twice-weekly psychoanalytic psychotherapy for 4–12 months. Out of the initial 57 participants who received Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services treatment as usual, 33 were reassessed at 12 months. Self-reported depressive symptoms, parent-reported social and attention problems and researcher-evaluated overall functioning and family functioning were measured at initial assessment and 12 months later. Results: At 12 months, psychotherapy was associated with a greater reduction in depressive, social and attention problems than treatment as usual, alone, if these problems were initially in the clinical range. There was no effect on participant overall functioning or family functioning. Conclusions: This naturally occurring sample of seriously ill adolescents referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services for assessment were suffering complex mental illness and poor mental health. Empirical evidence is presented that psychoanalytic psychotherapy is an effective addition to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services treatment as usual for mental illness in adolescence, particularly for more severe and complex cases. The naturalistic study design and participant attrition are possible study limitations.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. e030011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Rocks ◽  
Mina Fazel ◽  
Apostolos Tsiachristas

ObjectivesTo investigate whether the rate of spend on child and adolescent mental health is influenced by demand for other competing services in local commissioning decisions.DesignAnalysis of spend data by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG), including other publicly available data to control for variation in need.SettingLocal commissioning decisions in the National Health Service.ParticipantsCommissioning of health services across 209 CCGs.Main outcome measuresAssociation between the rate of child and adolescent mental health spend and demand for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), adult mental health services and physical health services after adjusting for confounding factors.ResultsAn additional percentage point in the proportion of children in care is associated with 4% higher child and young person mental health (CYP MH) spend per person aged 0–18 (ratio of means: 1.04; 95% CI 1.00 to 1.07). Spending £100 more on physical health services was associated with 9% lower spend in CYP MH per person aged 0–18 (ratio of means: 0.91; 95% CI 0.84 to 0.99).ConclusionsHealthcare commissioners in England face a challenge in balancing competing needs. This paper contributes to our understanding of this by quantifying the possible extent of the trade-off between physical health and CYP MH when allocating budgets. Any attempt to explain the variation in CAMHS spend must also take account of demand for other services.


2021 ◽  
pp. 135910452199970
Author(s):  
Naomi Gibbons ◽  
Emma Harrison ◽  
Paul Stallard

Background: There is increased emphasis on the national reporting of Routine Outcome Measures (ROMS) as a way of improving Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). This data needs to be viewed in context so that reasons for outcome completion rates are understood and monitored over time. Method: We undertook an in-depth prospective audit of consecutive referrals accepted into the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW) CAMHS service from November 2017 to January 2018 ( n = 1074) and April to September 2019 ( n = 1172). Results: Across both audits 90% of those offered an appointment were seen with three quarters completing baseline ROMS. One in three were not seen again with around 30% still being open to the service at the end of each audit. Of those closed to the service, paired ROMS were obtained for 46% to 60% of cases. There were few changes in referral problems or complexity factors over time. Conclusion: Understanding the referral journey and the reasons for attrition will help to put nationally collected data in context and can inform and monitor service transformation over time.


BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. e024230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Rocks ◽  
Melissa Stepney ◽  
Margaret Glogowska ◽  
Mina Fazel ◽  
Apostolos Tsiachristas

IntroductionIncreased demand for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), alongside concerns that services should be better commissioned to meet the needs of the most vulnerable, has contributed to a requirement to transform services to improve accessibility, quality of care and health outcomes. Following the submission of government-mandated transformation plans for CAMHS, services in England are changing in how, where and by whom they are delivered. This protocol describes the research methods to be applied to understand CAMHS transformations and evaluate the impact on the use of mental health services, patient care, satisfaction, health outcomes and health resource utilisation costs.Methods and analysisA mixed-methods approach will be taken in an observational retrospective study of CAMHS provided by a large National Health Service (NHS) mental health trust in South-East England (Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust). Quantitative research will include descriptive analysis of routinely collected data, with difference-in-differences analysis supplemented with propensity score matching performed to assess the impact of CAMHS transformations from 2015 onwards. An economic evaluation will be conducted from a healthcare perspective to provide commissioners with indications of value for money. Qualitative research will include observations of services and interviews with key stakeholders including CAMHS staff, service users and guardians, to help identify mechanisms leading to changes in service delivery, as well as barriers and enabling factors in this phase of transformation.Ethics and disseminationThis project has been registered with NHS Oxford Health Foundation Trust as a service evaluation. Informed consent will be sought from all stakeholders partaking in interviews according to good clinical practice. A local data sharing protocol will govern the transfer of quantitative data. Study findings will be published in professional journals for NHS managers and peer-reviewed scientific journals. They will be discussed in seminars targeting CAMHS providers, managers and commissioners and presented at scientific conferences.


2000 ◽  
Vol 24 (12) ◽  
pp. 462-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg Richardson ◽  
Ian Partridge

Consultation with Tier 1 professionals is an integral part of comprehensive child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) (NHS Health Advisory Service, 1995; Audit Commission, 1999). Despite enthusiasm for consultative approaches and clearly described advantages (Steinberg, 1993), the evidence base for consultation work is thin. In schools, the consultation intervention has been found to be the least effective of four interventions (Kolvin et al, 1981). Consultation enables the development of an integrated tiered system, improves communication, provides a greater understanding of the roles of CAMHS by Tier 1 professionals and fosters more relevant referral patterns.


1995 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Gifford Sawyer ◽  
Robert John Kosky

Approximately 10% of children and adolescents experience mental health problems, however only a small proportion receive specialised help. Identifying approaches which can provide a balanced and effective service for the large number of children and adolescents with problems is currently a major challenge for child and adolescent mental health services in Australia. In South Australia, following a review in 1983, child and adolescent services were reorganised into two separate but closely related services. This paper draws on experience in South Australia over the last decade to identify approaches which can be employed in six key areas that significantly influence the effectiveness of child and adolescent mental health services. The paper also describes the specific features which were included in the South Australian child and adolescent mental health service to address these issues.


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