Child and adolescent mental health services

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are NHS services that assess and treat children and young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties.  CAMHS teams will include qualified staff (psychiatrists, nurses, clinical psychologists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists).

As well as providing mental health support, the CAMHS teams provide diagnosis for conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).  Having ASD or ADHD doesn’t mean that your child automatically has poor mental health issues, however these conditions are frequently associated with higher anxiety.

There is also a related service called Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Intellectual Disability Service (CAMHS ID). You can find out more about CAMHS ID here.

If you are worried about your child’s behaviour or their mood then you should ask your GP for a referral to CAMHS.