Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) is the specialized service designed to support young people experiencing difficulties with their emotional, behavioral, or psychological wellbeing. This service operates to assess, treat, and offer support for a wide range of mental health issues in children and adolescents. It represents a multidisciplinary approach to ensure young people receive the necessary mental health care outside of general pediatric or adult services. The service is delivered by a team of professionals, which often includes psychiatrists, psychologists, specialist nurses, social workers, and various therapists.
What Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Are
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) typically serve individuals from birth up to their 18th birthday, though the exact upper age limit can vary between local service providers. The primary aim is to intervene early and effectively to help children and young people manage or overcome mental health difficulties that significantly impact their daily life, relationships, or schooling.
The structure of CAMHS is often organized around a tiered system, reflecting a stepped-care approach where the intensity of the intervention matches the severity and complexity of the young person’s needs. Tier 1 involves universal services like General Practitioners (GPs), school nurses, and teachers, providing early intervention for mild concerns.
Tier 2 offers targeted support for emerging, mild to moderate problems, often through community counseling or primary mental health workers. Specialist CAMHS provision begins at Tier 3, addressing complex, severe, or persistent disorders. Tier 4 represents highly specialized services, such as inpatient units or intensive day programs, for those with the most severe and high-risk mental health conditions.
Conditions and Treatments Provided
CAMHS addresses a wide spectrum of mental health and neurodevelopmental concerns that affect young people. Common conditions treated include major depression, pervasive anxiety disorders, difficulties related to self-harm or suicidal thoughts, eating disorders, severe emotional trauma, and psychosis.
The service also supports children with neurodevelopmental conditions, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). While CAMHS may not always provide the initial diagnosis, they offer specialized support for associated mental health problems, like co-occurring anxiety or mood disorders. The goal is to manage symptoms that interfere with the child’s functioning and wellbeing.
Treatment modalities are diverse and personalized, often involving evidence-based psychological therapies. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is frequently offered, focusing on helping young people understand and change unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior. Family therapy is also a common intervention, involving the young person and their family unit to improve communication and relational dynamics.
Other talking therapies, like Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) or psychotherapy, may be offered depending on the assessment. For moderate to severe disorders, a CAMHS psychiatrist can prescribe and manage medication. The service also incorporates creative therapies, behavioral support, and parenting guidance to provide holistic care.
How to Access CAMHS Support
Accessing specialized CAMHS support typically begins with a referral from a professional who knows the young person well. The most common route is a referral from a General Practitioner (GP) following an initial consultation. Other professionals who can make a referral include school nurses, teachers, social workers, or health visitors.
Some local CAMHS services may permit direct self-referrals from young people or their parents. Once submitted, the referral goes through a clinical triage process where specialist teams review the information to determine the level of need and the most appropriate course of action. This assessment helps decide whether the young person meets the criteria for specialist CAMHS support or if they would be better served by a Tier 1 or Tier 2 service.
The family receives confirmation of the decision, which may include an offer for an initial “choice appointment” or a referral to another local service. The initial appointment, which can be in-person or virtual, is used to gain a shared understanding of the concerns and agree on a pathway forward. Parents and young people should provide detailed information during the referral process, including specific symptoms and how the difficulties are affecting daily life.
If there is an immediate and serious risk to safety, emergency access procedures should be followed, which are separate from routine referrals. While wait times for routine appointments can be long, the triage process prioritizes urgent cases. The assessment leads to a tailored care plan, which may involve individual therapy, group support, or further specialist assessment.