What is CAMHS?

Below are some brief points to help you understand what kind of services we provide, who we work with, and how a young person can access our services. 

  1. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) is for children and young people up to age 18 who are experiencing moderate-to-severe mental health difficulties and/or ADHD that require assessment and treatment from a specialist team.
  2. As CAMHS is the second tier of the range of the mental health services, young people should have accessed mental health services at the first tier (primary care level) such as primary care psychology, Jigsaw or Pieta House before presenting to CAMHS, unless they are acutely unwell, or their symptoms have progressed rapidly, requiring an assessment from a CAMHS service.
  3. To access CAMHS you will need to seek a referral from your GP (family doctor). Once you have explained your difficulties to your GP, they will make a referral to CAMHS if they think it is necessary. When the CAMHS team receive the referral they will arrange an assessment if they believe that CAMHS is the right service for you. 
  4. The assessment and treatment available in CAMHS can help children and young people to manage and understand their mental health difficulties. This may be by accessing individual or group therapies, or through taking medication in consultation with a specialist doctor or clinician, or a combination of both.
  5. The role of parents/guardians in the assessment and treatment of their children and young people is central to the work in CAMHS. We seek to empower parents/guardians who may be feeling worried, overwhelmed and unsure how to best help.
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