Mental illness has been shown to have a similar effect on life-expectancy to smoking. Nationally, mental health problems affect one in ten children and young people; a figure that rises to one in five for young adults. The Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Profiling Tool provides a wide range of national, regional and local data on the risk factors, prevalence and services that support children who are vulnerable to, or have a mental illness.
Risk factors
Locally, there is evidence for a greater level of vulnerability to mental illness amongst children and young people. This is highlighted in an array of risk factors than range from poverty to obesity and migration. The association between poverty and mental illness is complex and likely to be self-perpetuating. There is evidence that the former can lead to poor health outcomes in adulthood, whilst the latter has been linked with a decline in financial circumstances. Obesity also poses a risk factor for poor mental health due to the related psychological effects of social isolation, low self-esteem and bullying. Migration and its associated difficulties in adjusting to a new environment inevitably present another risk factor for mental health problems in childhood.
Derby performs significantly worse than the national average across the following risk factors, which show that:
Prevalence
It is important to note that there are some caveats concerning national prevalence indicators – namely that they have been derived from the ONS survey ‘Mental health of children and young people in Great Britain’ (2004) and the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey undertaken in 2007. Nonetheless, the latest profile indicates that, amongst children aged 5-16:
Nationally, women are more likely to have an eating disorder, but only one in five are estimated to be in receipt of treatment. It is projected that 4,321 16-24 year-olds in Derby have an eating disorder. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterised by impulsivity and impairments in attention and concentration. In Derby, 4,604 16-24 year-olds are estimated to have ADHD.
Services
Unintentional and deliberate injuries are a leading cause of hospitalisation in children and young people. Both national and local trends indicate a recent increase in the rate of hospital admissions for self-harm in children and young people. Within the latest period of 2010/11-12/13, this was one and a half times greater locally than nationally (527.1 per 100,000 compared with 352.3 per 100,000). The rate of child hospital admissions for unintentional and deliberate injuries has recently dropped and is significantly below the national average.
Derby performs comparably with the national average across the following health service indicators:
Derby performs significantly worse than the national average across the following social care indicators:
There is a strong link between pupil attainment and wellbeing. The early educational environment can serve as a protective factor against mental illness, but can also be the first setting in which initial difficulties first emerge.
Derby performs significantly worse than the national average across the following educational indicators:
CAMHS RISE is a rapid response service for GPs and others in primary care to ensure the best possible support for young people who have seriously self-harmed or are having suicidal thoughts. This service is currently available in the south of Derbyshire – the areas covered by NHS Southern Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS Erewash Clinical Commissioning Group.
What service does the CAMHS RISE team provide?
Sometimes it can be difficult for GPs to confidently assess whether a young person in mental distress is in urgent need of emergency care. The CAMHS RISE team – which is made up of experienced mental health nurses and occupational therapists from Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, overseen by a consultant psychiatrist – will speak with the GP and provide specialist advice. Where the team recommends that a young person goes to the children’s emergency department at Royal Derby Hospital, the team (who are based at the hospital) will make every effort to meet with that young person, maximising the continuity of care. Where a visit to hospital is not required, but a more detailed mental health assessment is needed, the team will arrange that with the GP and the young person.
The end result should be that young people get the care and support that meets their needs – and there should be fewer young people being admitted unnecessarily to hospital.
Learn more at www.derbyshcft.nhs.uk/camhs-rise