Child and adolescent mental health services: longitudinal data sheds light on current policy for psychological interventions in the community
| Pages | 96-99 |
| Date | 18 September 2017 |
| Published date | 18 September 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-03-2017-0013 |
| Author | Sharon A.S. Neufeld,Peter B. Jones,Ian M. Goodyer |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Public mental health |
Child and adolescent mental health
services: longitudinal data sheds
light on current policy for psychological
interventions in the community
Sharon A.S. Neufeld, Peter B. Jones and Ian M. Goodyer
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to expand upon policy implications of a recent study assessing
adolescent mental health service contact and subsequent depression.
Design/methodology/approach –Review of related evidence from academic and grey literature.
Findings –Studies assessing the role of mental health services in reducing mental disorder during
adolescence are sparse, and even prevalence figures for adolescent mental disorders are out-of-date.
Adolescent mental health service contact rates are shown to fall concurrent with budgetary decreases.
School-based counselling is highlighted as an important source of help that may be at risk of being cut.
Increased training of General Practitioners and school counsellors is needed to improve efficiency in specialist
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
Practical implications –Longitudinal studies of young people’s mental health should include mental health
service usage and its relationship with subsequent mental health outcomes.
Social implications –Funding cuts to CAMHS must be avoided, school-based counselling must be
protected, and service referrers should be better trained.
Originality/value –This paper highlights the need for increased CAMHS data, sustained funding, and
improved training for this vital service.
Keywords Policy, Depression, Child and adolescent mental health services, Community interventions
Paper type Viewpoint
Young people’s mental health problems account for many adulthood adversities, including
greater likelihood of mental disorder ( Jones, 2013), decreased income, decreased probability of
being employed or maintaining a stable cohabiting relationship (Goodman et al., 2011), and
greater contact with the criminal justice system (Knapp et al., 2016). Increasing the effectiveness
and numbers treated by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) would therefore
yield personal, economic, and societal benefits over the lifespan. Recently, a paper was
published supporting the association of treatment-as-usual mental health service contact with
improved mental health by late adolescence (Neufeld et al., 2017). While the baseline mental
health service data were collected a decade ago (2005/2006), such data are rare and provide
insights relevant to current CAMHS. Some policy implications for CAMHS arise from this study,
pertaining to the evidence base, funding, continuity of services, and training of referrers.
Studies assessing the role of mental health services in reducing mental disorder during
adolescence are sparse, an oversight that must be addressed. The literature review conducted
by Neufeld et al. (2017) found only six studies internationally which assessed the relationship of
adolescent mental health services and subsequent mental health; none were as rigorous in
simultaneouslyaddressing non-randomisation of serviceusage, attrition, and clinical relevanceas
Neufeld et al. (2017). Longitudinalstudies of young people’s mentalhealth should without question
include mentalhealth service usage and its relationshipwith subsequent mental health outcomes.
Received 20 March 2017
Accepted 18 April 2017
©SharonA.S.Neufeld,
Peter B. Jonesand Ian M. Goodyer.
Publishedby Emerald Publishing
Limited. This article is published
under the Creative Commons
Attribution(CC BY 4.0) licence.
Anyone mayreproduce, distribute,
translateand create derivativeworks
of this article( for both commercial
and non-commercial purposes),
subjectto full attributionto the
originalpublication and authors.
The full terms of this licence
may be seen at
http://creativecommons.org/
licences/by/4.0/legalcode
This studywas funded by the
WellcomeTrust (Grant No. 074296),
and the National Institute for Health
ResearchCollaboration for
Leadership in Applied Health
Research & Care for
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Sharon A.S. Neufeld
is a Research Associate,
Peter B. Jones is a Professor
and Ian M. Goodyer is a
Professor, all at the
Department of Psychiatry,
University of Cambridge,
Cambridge, UK.
PAG E 96
j
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH
j
VOL. 16 NO. 3 2017, pp. 96-99, Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1746-5729 DOI 10.1108/JPMH-03-2017-0013
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