What Young People Want From Mental Health Services

Young people experience one of the highest rates of mental health problems of any group, but make the least use of the support available to them. To reach young people in distress, we need to understand what this digital generation want from mental health professionals and services. Based on interviews with nearly 400 young people, this book offers a vision of youth mental health issues and services through the eyes of young people themselves. It offers professionals important insights into the meaning of identity and agency for this generation and explores how these issues play out in young people’s expectations of mental health support. It shows how, despite young people’s immersion in digital technology, genuine and trusting relationships remain a key ingredient in their priorities for support. It considers what access to mental health support means for a generation who have grown up with the immediacy enabled by digital technology. Young people’s accounts also provide crucial insights into how they are using digital resources to manage their own mental health – in ways often not appreciated by professionals who design internet interventions. What Young People Want From Mental Health Services offers clear guidance to counsellors, psychologists, psychiatrists, youth workers, social workers, service providers and policymakers about how to work with youth and design their services so they are a better match for young people today. It contributes to a growing movement calling for a ‘Youth Informed Approach’ to mental health to address the needs of young people.

This book highlights the field of youth mental health and why it is a specialty distinct from both child and adolescent and adult mental health. Youth Mental Health: Approaches to Emerging Mental Ill-Health in Young People examines issues such as mental health literacy, e-Health, family, psychological, vocational and pharmacological interventions. The authors also discuss issues that are particularly pertinent to young people, such as suicidality, substance abuse, gender identity and sexuality, attention deficit disorder and eating disorders. Taking a preventative focus, this book presents evidence for youth mental health as an important and growing field, makes the case for the reform of existing service structures to better serve this group and outlines the latest specialised approaches to treatment. Drawing on the knowledge and expertise of leading thinkers in youth mental health, this book is instrumental for mental health professionals who wish to design new specialised mental health systems for young people.

More than half of children either in foster care, or adopted from care in the developed world, have a measurable need for mental health services, while up to one quarter present with complex and severe trauma- and attachment-related psychological disorders. This book outlines how services can effectively detect, prevent, and treat mental health difficulties in this vulnerable population. Responding to increasing evidence that standard child and adolescent mental health services are poorly matched to the mental health service needs of children and young people who have been in foster care, this book provides expert guidance on the design of specialised services. The first part provides an overview of these children’s mental health needs, their use of mental health services and what is known about the effectiveness of mental health interventions provided to them. The second part presents some recent innovations in mental health service delivery, concentrating on advances in clinical and developmental assessment and treatment. The final part confronts the challenges for delivering effective mental health services in this area. This is the definitive international reference for the design of specialised mental health services for children and young people in care and those adopted from care. It is invaluable reading for health and social care professionals working with this population and academics with an interest in child and adolescent mental health from a range of disciplines, including social work, nursing and psychology.

“This is an incredibly useful and timely resource for those studying and working in the field of youth mental health.” Sara Evans-Lacko, PhD, Care Policy and Evaluation Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK “’Understanding Youth Mental Health’ covers the full spectrum of what is needed. ‘Understanding Youth Mental Health’ is a welcome and important building block.” Patrick McGorry, Professor of Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Australia, Executive Director, Orygen: National Centre for Youth Mental Health “This practical textbook, with contributions from established international experts, provides a comprehensive guide to contemporary theory, research and practice in youth mental health.” Dr Louise Doyle, Associate Professor in Mental Health Nursing, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland Understanding Youth Mental Health offers a new and comprehensive approach to youth mental health that highlights the significance of development during adolescence and early adulthood. The book centres on the experiences of young people as service users, drawing attention to the distinctive challenges being faced in the 21st century and emphasising the importance of supporting young people’s well-being and improving mental health literacy. In a succinct and practical way, Understanding Youth Mental Health: •Introduces students to a new conceptual model for understanding young people’s mental health •Incorporates chapters on the key features of new model services in Australia, Ireland and the UK including youth engagement, input from families and service design •Provides comprehensive epidemiological data on mental disorders and a clear focus on the importance of early intervention in psychosis •Includes chapters from leading academics working in the area of youth mental health, augmented with short accounts of personal experiences from young people and their families Written by world-leading experts from eight countries with diverse research and clinical experience, Understanding Youth Mental Health draws on findings from around the globe and equips readers with the information required to develop as researchers and practitioners with a view to improving service provision in a range of contexts. Ideal for those embarking on careers or study in this field, the book provides key learnings from theory and practice which can be deployed and developed within your own service provision. Eilis Hennessy is a Professor of Developmental Psychology in University College Dublin, Ireland. Caroline Heary is an Associate Professor in Developmental Psychology at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Maria Michail is a Marie Curie Global Fellow and an Associate Professor in the Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, UK.

A need for comprehensive services for young people requiring more intensive mental health services has been identified and this book explores what works in Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) at this level. Specialist Mental Healthcare for Children and Adolescents looks at intensive outpatient and community services; assertive outreach teams; inpatient residential and secure provision; and other highly specialised assessment, consultation and intervention services. Based on the best available evidence, each chapter provides key points, research summaries and an overview of available treatments. It outlines emerging good practice guidance, service models, assessment, and training and workforce development requirements. This accessible text is essential reading for commissioners and professionals – including psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, therapists, social workers and teachers – working in specialist CAMHS services, as well as all those studying for qualifications in child and adolescent mental health.

Better Mental Health in Schools recognises the value of school staff in supporting mental health in children and young people and introduces new skills for enhancing the therapeutic benefits of environments and relationships in schools. This book discusses and links to provision in schools and to supporting good mental health in pupils across four key areas for enhancing mental health and wellbeing — Cognition, Compassion, Containment, and Connection. Based in relevant and timely research it provides an accessible insight into practical ways to change practice. Rather than prescribe one programme, or suggest one curriculum design, the book shows how strengthening knowledge and understanding of some basic underpinnings of good mental health will scaffold the development of better mental health in schools and offers illustrations of how that could look in everyday practice. Written for practitioners and based on many years of experience in classrooms across a variety of education provisions, this book reflects the lived, experiential perspective of a teacher and school therapist. Through paying attention to these four key areas of daily life in school, staff can create an environment that supports mental wellbeing, while not depleting their own mental health.

This book focuses on those nursing skills that are truly valued and needed by children and young people with mental health problems. Whilst other books have chiefly focused on mental health conditions and treatments, this book moves away from this formulaic approach and considers what children and youth themselves need most from health professionals. It shows why nursing skills are among the most precious values for patients. This focus on therapeutic relationships, establishing trust-based forms of nursing, and empowering children and young people to develop into healthy and resilient young adults has largely been neglected, despite the feedback from those who urgently need help but often struggle to find it, or are wary of seeking help and reluctant to engage. This book focuses on the places where nurses encounter young people and seek to help them. It examines the role nurses play in specialist child and adolescent mental health settings (such as in-patient and community, as psychotherapists, and on self-harm teams) and where paediatrics nurses work with troubled young people (in emergency departments, paediatric wards and primary care). It also considers two specific areas, namely eating disorder services and consent-seeking, that could benefit from nursing skills that are currently undervalued, but are in fact invaluable. Its focus on those skills that nurses already have, but may not be consciously using, will make this book uniquely appealing to all nurses who work with children and young people with mental health problems, regardless of the setting, and an essential guide for students and experienced professionals alike.

Essential Nursing Care for Children and Young People is the definitive guide for all nursing and healthcare students and professionals caring for children and young people. Designed to meet the 2010 NMC competency standards for pre-registration nurses, the textbook supports you through the process of caring for children and young people with varied needs and conditions across all healthcare settings. A practical, patient-centred approach is taken throughout, with the ‘voices’ of children, their families and their carers used to tie theoretical knowledge to the real experience of providing care. The inclusion of the latest research and health and social care policies ensures that you are fully in line with the latest clinical practice, whilst the book’s activities and exercises allow you to regularly check your understanding and develop confidence during your journey from student to nursing professional. Main features: Course-Focused Approach – pedagogy and content designed specifically for all three years of the child nursing degree programme. Contemporary Content – research note features and policy integrated throughout to give you instant access to the latest evidence-based practice. Illustrated Throughout – this highly accessible text regularly uses pictures and diagrams to highlight key issues. Voices – include authentic experiences of children, young people, parents, carers and professionals to help develop a patient-focused attitude to care. Pertinent A&P – includes coverage of all relevant anatomy and physiology for child and young person nursing courses. Practice Guidelines – provide practical guidance on everyday procedures for your quick reference. Activities and Answers – allow you to check your knowledge and build confidence. Specialist Authors – each chapter is written by leading experts in each area. Essential Nursing Care for Children and Young People is the ideal main textbook for all undergraduate child and young person nursing students, as well as professionals wanting to ensure they are using the latest practice. This text is also relevant to any student or professional involved in the health and social care of children and young adults.