Student Support Services | Mental Health
CAMHs – Child and Adolescent Health Services
CAMHS is used as a term for all services that work with children and young people who have difficulties with their emotional or behavioural wellbeing. Specialist CAMHs are NHS Mental Health Services that focus on the needs of children and young people.
They are multidisciplinary teams that often consist of:
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psychiatrists
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psychologists
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social workers
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nurses
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support workers
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occupational therapists
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psychological therapists – this may include child psychotherapists, family psychotherapists, play therapists and creative art therapists
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primary mental health link workers
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specialist substance misuse workers
If you would like more information about the service and what they can offer your child, please visit:
This is a great website that offers a beginner's guide to CAMHs for young people and parents.
Referring to CAMHs
This can be done either through your GP or through the school.
Forums
Fareham Academy sits on the Fareham and Gosport Safeguarding and Mental Health Forum which meet half-termly – this is an opportunity to discuss growing trends linked to mental health and wellbeing, the most up-to-date services and resources available to support young people and to share and gather information with professionals.
Information - A Brief Summary of some Mental Health Conditions
For more information, please visit: http://www.nhs.uk
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
OCD is a common mental health condition in which a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours. It affects men, women and children and can develop at any age. Some people develop the condition early, often around puberty, but it typically develops during early adulthood. OCD can be distressing and can significantly interfere with a person's life, but treatment can help to keep it under control.
Eating disorders
An eating disorder is when someone has an unhealthy attitude towards food, which can take over a person's life and make them ill. It can involve eating too much or too little, or becoming obsessed with your weight and body shape. There are treatments that can help, and you can recover from an eating disorder. Men and women of any age can get an eating disorder, but they most commonly affect young women aged 13 to 17 years old.
Anxiety disorders in children
It's normal for children to feel worried or anxious from time to time – such as when they're starting school or nursery, or moving to a new area, but for some children, anxiety affects their behaviour and thoughts every day, interfering with their school, home and social life. This is when you may need professional help to tackle it.
Self-Harm
Self-harm is when somebody intentionally damages or injures their body. It's usually a way of coping with or expressing overwhelming emotional distress. Sometimes when people self-harm, they feel on some level that they intend to die. More than half of people who die by suicide have a history of self-harm. But the intention is more often to punish themselves, express their distress, or relieve unbearable tension. Sometimes it's a mixture of all three. Self-harm can also be a cry for help.
Resources
Mental Health – Make it Count (Teacher's Guide)