Category: Ideas

Best for You: Learning Network Event

On By carolinedecatesIn Events, Ideas, ResourcesLeave a comment

The NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Northwest London are holding an online ‘Learning Network Event’ on November 8th, between 2pm and 5pm.

At the event, you can find out more about a new and innovative service that addresses the needs of young people experiencing a mental health crisis in London. The event’s aim is to share learning with clinicians, managers, researchers and policymakers who may be thinking about different approaches to tackle the challenges ahead. 

Click here for more information about the event and to register.

Adverse childhood experiences: what support do young people need?

On By Paediatric Mental Health AssociationIn Ideas, Reports, Research, Resources, TrainingLeave a comment

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) recently published an interested article about supporting children who have had adverse experiences:

“Recent NIHR research aims to improve the lives of children and young people exposed to adverse childhood experiences. It identifies the types of support young people feel they need from services, and offers ways to support the mental health of children in care and those adopted from care…”

Click here to read more.

RCPCH Webinar: Mental Health Leadership in Paediatrics

On By Paediatric Mental Health AssociationIn Events, Ideas, Organisations, TrainingLeave a comment

Key Audience: Paediatricians with an interest in Mental Health

Wednesday 30th March 2022, 1pm to 2pm, ONLINE

Dr Karen Street, RCPCH Officer for Mental Health, Dr Emma Blake, Chair of the Paediatric Mental Health Association (PMHA), and Dr James Dearden, Consultant Paediatrician and Mental Health Lead, will talk about the role that paediatricians can play in supporting children and young people’s mental health, and the opportunities that mental health lead roles offer for paediatrics.

Click here to learn more about the event and how to register.

Article About Integrated Care

On By Paediatric Mental Health AssociationIn Ideas, Research, ResourcesLeave a comment

We would like to draw your attention to this recent research article published in the journal JCPP Advances by the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH).

Integrated care to address child and adolescent health in the 21st century: A clinical review

Mina Fazel et al.

Background

Increasing specialisation and technical sophistication of medical tools across the 21st century have contributed to dramatic improvements in the life-expectancy of children and adolescents with complex physical health problems. Concurrently, there is growing appreciation within the community of the extent that children and adolescents experience mental disorders, which are more prevalent in those with complex chronic, serious or life-limiting health conditions. In this context, there are compelling reasons for paediatric services to move to a model of care that promotes greater integration of child psychiatry within the medical, somatic teams that care for children and adolescents in children’s hospitals.

Aims

In this article, we discuss the range of medical disorders managed by contemporary paediatrics.

Materials and Methods

We conducted a broad review of the literature and existing services, and use individual accounts to illustrate adolescents’ healthcare preferences in the context of the challenges they experience around their mental health.

For the full article click here

JCPP is a new open access journal in the field of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and related disciplines

Click here to find out more and to read other articles in this journal

Podcast: My Family, Mental Illness… and Me

On By nolczakIn Ideas, News, Organisations, PeopleLeave a comment

The organisation Our Time, which seeks to help young people affected by parental mental health illness, has just launched what sounds like a fantastic new podcast called “My Family, Mental Illness… and Me”:

“At Our Time, we are very proud of this podcast. With it, we want to open up the conversation around parental mental illness. All of the guests who took part have or had a parent with a mental illness, or facing a mental health difficulty. Many have a significant public profile including: Joe Wicks, the nation’s PE teacher; BAFTA-winning screenwriter Kayleigh Llewellyn (In My Skin); comedian, author and actor Grace Campbell; and MP Neil Coyle. The interviews are brilliantly hosted by Dr Pamela Jenkins from the Mental Health Foundation, whose own mother had schizoaffective disorder.”

For more information about the podcast and the work which Our Time does, visit their website here.

Connected Child Health Website

On By nolczakIn Ideas, People, Research, Resources, TrainingLeave a comment

We wanted to direct your attention to this fantastic website about physical and mental healthcare for young people. The site has been set up by Dr Rory Conn, a consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist working in Exeter, Devon. Click on the image below to visit the site…

The website has an interesting blog section, where Dr Conn discusses different current issues and offers his own thoughts on working with the mental health of young people.

It also has a growing collection of useful resources for patients and families, as well as for professionals and students / trainees working in this area.

Members of the PMHA can find links to more great sources of information like this under the ‘Resources‘ section of this website. Not a member yet? Then why not join now?

All Emotions Are Okay!

On By nolczakIn Ideas, News, People, ResourcesLeave a comment

Dr Sarah Temple, a GP and director of EHCAP – an organisation providing innovative solutions for education, health, care and prison services – has written a great book aimed at supporting children and families to be emotionally ready for school. The book, ‘All Emotions Are Okay’, is a bright and colourful exploration of the emotions young children, and their parents or carers, might feel when they start school.

Click on the picture to see and download the book

Click on the picture above, or click here, to see and download a pdf version of this book. You can also give feedback on the book.

Liaison Psychiatry / Paediatric Liaison Network

On By Paediatric Mental Health AssociationIn Ideas, Jobs, People, ReportsLeave a comment

Liaison psychiatrists work at the interface between physical and psychological health.

Providing specialist mental health assessment and treatment for patients attending general hospitals, they deal with a range of problems including self-harm, adjustment to illness and physical and psychological co-morbidities.

The clinical content of liaison psychiatry practice is complex, and every day brings a new challenge.

Liaison Psychiatrists educate general hospital colleagues to improve their knowledge, skills and confidence in the basics of management of common mental health problems that they encounter in their practice.

Liaison psychiatrists work with medical and surgical colleagues as their patients can have high levels of mental health problems.

Also, patients with chronic disease may have difficulty managing their condition which liaison psychiatric input can help.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health is moving increasingly under the spotlight on political and public agendas. We are seeing almost daily media articles focusing on the rising rates of acute presentations of children and adolescents in crisis to Emergency Departments (ED), as well as the expanding waiting lists for community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Although there have been developments in policy to address the needs of young people with mental health difficulties such as Future in Mind1, the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health2 and the Long Term Plan3; there is still a long way to go to achieve parity with adult mental health services, let alone physical health provisions.

The Psychiatric Liaison Accreditation Network (PLAN) Accreditation Committee were keen to broaden the scope of the current PLAN Quality Standards to encompass patients of all ages.

The standards in this document have been developed from current legislation, guidance and experts, and shared with members of the RCPsych Paediatric Liaison Network6 for their input and approval.

Quality Standards for Children and Young People for Liaison Psychiatry Services Royal College of Pschiatrists April 2019

Click here for full report

Questionnaire – The future of the PMHA Annual Academic Meeting

On By Paediatric Mental Health AssociationIn Events, Ideas, NewsLeave a comment

For many years now this meeting has been held at the end of January, in the lovely setting of Highgate House Hotel, in Creaton near Northampton. Unfortunately, this hotel has gone into administration and is being sold.

This year’s meeting was held online, because of the ongoing Coronavirus situation. Despite being very different, it was a really successful and interesting meeting.

We are now planning for next year’s meeting and are keen to get opinions on the best way forward for the PMHA Annual Academic Meeting

We would be very grateful if you could spare the time to let us have your views on next year’s and future ‘Highgate’.

Please click here to access a short questionnaire!

Let them play…

On By Paediatric Mental Health AssociationIn Ideas, News, ReportsLeave a comment

Allowing young children to play with their friends must be prioritised as soon as possible when lockdown is eased.

This was the argument made by this really interesting post published recently on the ACAMH Blog.

The article discusses the fact that while the Covid-19 pandemic has posed a lower risk of physical health problems for children, it has transformed the social lives of children more rapidly than anyone could have imagined.

A recent rapid systematic review concluded that loneliness and social isolation adversely affect children’s short- and long-term mental health (Loades, M. E. et al). 

You can read the full post on the blog by clicking here.