Who’s who in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
(CAMHS?) – information for parents, teachers, young people
and anyone who works with young people
About this leaflet
This is one in a series of leaflets for
parents, teachers and young people entitled Mental Health and
Growing Up. The aims of these leaflets are to provide
practical, up-to-date information about mental health problems
(emotional, behavioural and psychiatric disorders) that can affect
children and young people. This leaflet describes what CAMHS are
and how people who work in CAMHS may be able to help you, if you,
or someone you know, has a mental health problem.
Introduction
CAMHS come in all shapes and sizes, and tend
to be made up of lots of different mental health professionals all
working together to help young people and their families where
there are mental health problems.
Where can I find CAMHS?
CAMHS professionals tend to work in one or
more of the following places:
- Community CAMHS clinics (sometimes called Tier
3)
- Out-patient clinics or alongside paediatricians in general
hospitals
- Specialised in-patient, day patient or outpatient units (Tier
4)
- In schools and some GP practices(Tier 2)
- Alongside social services or youth offending services
(YOS)
- In children’s centres
In addition to offering appointments in the
above places, some CAMHS professionals can offer to see you at home
if it is difficult for you to meet elsewhere.
Who works in CAMHS?
- Child and adolescent psychiatrists – these are medically
qualified doctors who specialise in working with young people with
mental health problems and their families.
Other child mental health
professionals include:
- child psychologists
- child psychotherapists
- family therapists
- children's psychiatric nurses
- social workers
- CAMHS nurses
- CAMHS practitioners
Most of the work that they do with children,
young people and their families is done through out-patient
appointments while the child continues to live at home.
CAMHS professionals are sometimes asked to
provide expert opinion to the courts about child welfare
issues.
What problems can they help with?
CAMHS professionals deal with a wide range of
mental health problems, including all those addressed in this
series of leaflets and many more.
Many children and young people are troubled by
emotional, behavioural and psychiatric problems, and these cause
worry and distress both to themselves and to those who care for
them.
A large part of a child psychiatrist's work
is:
- to identify the problem
- to understand the causes
- to advise about what may help.
Child psychiatrists are the only CAMHS
professionals who can prescribe medication if it is needed,
although sometimes specially trained CAMHS nurses may prescribe for
some illnesses. Other CAMHS professionals, for example, child
psychotherapists, psychologists and family therapists are
particularly skilled in providing talking therapies of different
sorts.
How can I be seen in CAMHS?
Your general practitioner, health visitor,
paediatrician, school doctor or nurse, educational psychologist,
SENCO in school, or social worker will be able to discuss any
concerns and arrange for an appointment in a CAMHS service if
necessary.
Sources of further information
- YoungMinds
provides information and advice on child mental health issues.
102-108 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1M 5SA. Parents' Information
Service (free telephone service) 0808 802 5544.
- The Mental Health and Growing Up series contains
leaflets on a range of
common mental health problems. To order the pack, contact Book
Sales at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, 17 Belgrave Square,
London SW1X 8PG. Tel. 020 7235 2351, ext. 146; fax 020 7245 1231;
e-mail: booksales@rcpsych.ac.uk, or
you can download them from this website.
A downloadable booklet and a leaflet to tell
young people more about what to expect
from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
Series editor: Dr Mona
Freeman
Editorial Board: Child and
Family Public Education Editorial Board
Reviewed and
updated March 2010
Next review date: March 2012
©
[2004] Royal College of Psychiatrists. This leaflet may be
downloaded, printed out, photocopied and distributed free of charge
as long as the Royal
College
of Psychiatrists is properly credited and no profit is gained from
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obtained from the Head of
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directly.
Please note that we are unable to offer advice on individual cases. Please see our FAQ for advice on getting help.
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