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This is one of a series of BMJ summaries of new guidelines based on the best available evidence; they highlight important recommendations for clinical practice, especially where uncertainty or controversy exists. To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens
The 2014 English Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice, a policy framework for delivery of a range of services including Schools Mental Health Services (SMHS), is considered in the context of international research on the delivery of mental health services in schools. Effective interventions have been reported in poor and middle-income countries, whereas there is less information about routine services in high-income societies, and what they report are equivocal outcomes. In England and the United States, problems with acceptability of routine mental health assessment, together with conflict over resource allocation significantly impede both effectiveness and acceptability. The new Code has been specifically written to support better engagement between Education and Mental Health, but piloting suggests that this has not yet happened. Proactive multiagency planning within the framework of the Code, linked to explicit work on organizational transformation, could provide an effective and acceptable Schools Mental Health Service, with legal protection from subsequent deleterious policy and funding changes. Explicit recommendations for using the Code are appended. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - www.sssft.nhs.uk/library
The paediatric population is known to be at high risk for psychiatric problems. Paediatric liaison child/adolescent mental health services (PL-CAMHS) have been developed to help increase recognition and management of psychiatric morbidity in the paediatric setting. This report describes clinical activity by a psychological medicine PL-CAMHS and considers specificity by comparing this with community/general CAMHS activity. Login using your SSOTP NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSSFT - request a copy of the article from the library - www.sssft.nhs.uk/library
The Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Local Transformation Plan for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services has been approved by NHS England and is now published. Additional funding of £2.1million has been allocated to the 6 Clinical Commissioning Groups across Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent, to deliver improvements in emotional wellbeing and mental health services for children and young people. The plan sets out the priorities for investment and the anticipated outcomes.
Writing directly to patients or copying letters to them is common practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). If the intention is to increase young people's understanding and collaboration in their health care, then the readability of such letters is important. The aim of this study was to reassess the readability of letters sent to patients from the Young People's Department at Royal Cornhill Hospital since it adopted the choice and partnership approach (CAPA). Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
We know little about the correlates of mental health problems in youth with severe and profound intellectual disability (ID), as most research includes these youth within larger samples that include greater proportions of mild and moderate disability. The purpose of the current study was to identify the child, family and psychosocial characteristics that were associated with the presence of psychiatric diagnoses and maladaptive behaviour in youth with severe ID. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Reading Well for young people recommends expert endorsed books about mental health, providing 13 to 18 year olds with advice and information about issues like anxiety, stress and OCD, and difficult experiences like bullying and exams.
NURSES ARE leading widespread changes to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in Surrey. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
This narrative literature review focuses on family factors that might be amenable to intervention using family therapy (n=126). Domains of interest include parent/child interactions, inter-parental relationships, child characteristics, parental characteristics, wider system factors, treatment needs and moderators. The focus of family-orientated treatment with this population should focus on maximizing cohesion, attachment, adaptability, family support, parental warmth while reducing maltreatment, scapegoating and moderating parental control. Close working relationships with child protection services and schools represent additional opportunities. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
The publication includes advice on: encouraging a healthy pregnancy; the importance of newborn screening and vaccination; encouraging secure attachment; promoting breastfeeding; improving maternal mental health; healthy child programme; health and development reviews
Researchers identified multiple factors that might have contributed to the deaths.
These include having experienced bereavement, relationship problems or breakdown; having long-term physical health problems, including asthma and acne, family problems, self-harm, bullying, and alcohol or drug use.
It's unclear if any single factor was a cause of death. It could be possible that in many cases multiple risk factors triggered suicidal thinking and behaviour.
However, we cannot be sure that these factors contributed to the deaths of the children and young people involved in all cases. This is partly because they are very common.
For example, the study showed that 27% of those who died had experienced exam stress or other academic pressures, but we don't know what proportion of under-20s in the general population also experience exam stress.
Young people with drug and alcohol problems are likely to have poorer health and other psychosocial outcomes than other young people. Residential treatment programmes have been shown to lead to improved health and related outcomes for young people in the short term. There is very little robust research showing longer term outcomes or benefits of such programmes. This paper describes an innovative protocol to examine the longer term outcomes and experiences of young people referred to a residential life management and treatment programme in Australia designed to address alcohol and drug issues in a holistic manner. Open Access Article
It is estimated that 10% of children and young people have mental health problems so significant that they impact not only on their day-to-day life but, if left untreated, they will continue into adulthood. In this article, the author discusses mental health issues affecting children and young people and examines evidence-based early intervention and prevention programmes that have been shown to support better outcomes for children, young people and their families. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details
There is concern about the mental health of children and young people and a possible rise in suicidal behaviour in this group. We have done a comprehensive national multi-agency study of suicide in under 20s in England. We aimed to establish how frequently suicide is preceded by child-specific and young person-specific suicide risk factors, as well as all-age factors, and to identify contact with health-care and social-care services and justice agencies. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai