EBD Blog

The British Medical Association (BMA) issued a report 20 June 2006 about the mental health of children and youths in Great Britan. News coverage of the report by Sarah Hall of the Guardian emphasized findings that the prevalence of emotional and Behavioral Disorders has doubled to ~10%.

The report, Child and Adolescent Mental Health, reveals that 9.6% of children aged between five and 16 experience some kind of mental health disorder such as eating, emotional or behavioural problems. The study finds that in the 11-16 age group, 12.6% of boys and 10% of girls suffer from a mental disorder.

The report itself provides no new data about mental health, but summarizes data from other studies and integrates them to develop policy recommendations. In addition to examining earlier studies and reports on prevalence and risk factors, health inequalities, barriers to receiving treatment, strategies for improving care (in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland), multi-agency collaboration (what US readers would call “wraparound services”), and methods for promoting good mental health. The report’s conclusion and recommendations are worth noting.

• Recommendations
  • Government policies and strategies that are currently being implemented, such as ‘Every child matters’, ‘Choosing health’ and the national service frameworks, must be fully monitored, and data collected and analysed to ensure that they are effective and addressing need. This information should be made publicly available and accessible.
• Child and adolescent mental health services
  • The government must address the current shortage of mental healthcare professionals.
  • There must be adequate funding for CAMHS to ensure that they are properly resourced and staffed.
  • Innovative services are needed to meet the needs of young people, and access to such services must be improved. Examples include a range of venues that differ from the traditional clinical setting, and easy access to a mixture of services.
• Multi-agency working
  • It is essential that all professionals providing CAMHS receive adequate training and support enabling them to work effectively together. Measures that have already been taken to implement multi-agency working must be continued and extended. Governments need to ensure that the resources, including training in the healthcare information technology system, are available to allow this to happen.
• Mental health inequalities
  • The provision of appropriate mental health services to 16 and 17 year olds must be improved. Young people should not be receiving adult care when they are not mature enough to do so. CAMHS should be extended to encompass this age group in all areas.
  • Collaboration between CAMHS and AMHS must continue and improve to ensure a smooth transition to adult services.
  • The provision of mental health services to looked after children and young people must be improved. CAMHS professionals and registered carers need training in order to support these groups in their particular needs.
  • The current inadequacy of mental health services for children and young people with learning disabilities must be addressed.
  • The reforms outlined in the Child Poverty Review must be implemented to end child deprivation and therefore reduce risk factors for mental health problems.
  • Current inequalities in mental healthcare experienced by BME groups must be tackled:
    • initiatives set out by NIMHE and DH must be properly implemented
    • healthcare professionals and providers of CAMHS should receive training in cultural values and beliefs, to enable them to care for children and young people from BME backgrounds more effectively. Language translation services must be available
    • racism within mental health services must be tackled and eliminated.
  • Barriers to receiving healthcare faced by asylum seeker and refugee children must be addressed.
  • Actions must be taken to improve access to mental health services in young offender institutions, and to tackle the high rate of suicide among young offenders.
  • In addition to the above, CAMHS in Northern Ireland must be reformed and modernised, in line with current policy recommendations, to address gaps in provision.
• Mental health promotion
  • There is a need to improve public knowledge and understanding of mental health.
  • There should be better provision and dissemination of information about mental health aimed at children and young people, appropriate to different age ranges. This should include information about what different mental health problems are, how and where to access help and support, what different mental health professionals do, and what treatments entail. Information should be presented in a variety of media that appeal to children and young people, and in different languages.
  • The media should be encouraged to show those with mental health problems in a positive light, including children and young people.
  • There is a need for more and better mental health promotion to BME groups in order to address health inequalities.
  • Current strategies to address stigma and discrimination against those with mental health problems must be fully implemented. They should be monitored to ensure that they are adequate and effective.

Link to the BMA report and to Ms. Hall’s story.