Emergency Department Handbook Children and adolescents with mental health problems

At some point, one in five children and adolescents in the UK will suffer distress or disorganisation of their behaviour sufficient to be considered ‘disordered’ (Office for National Statistics, 2005). Much of this ‘disorder’ will be dealt with informally and resolve or persist at a low level, accumulating over time to present at a later stage. Some children and adolescents will be dealt with by various professionals in various capacities – teachers, school nurses, general practitioners (GPs), social workers – and never come to the attention of ‘specialists’. Some will be helped by child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), without ever needing hospital services....