CAMHS – More harm than good? – Alexandra Coupland – Reigate Grammar School

Recently, it’s been criticised for its long waitlist meaning children in need are unable to receive vital help. In one instance, it took over 1,000 days for a patient in South Yorkshire to even be assessed for counselling and there is a clear regional divide in services. In Staffordshire, children waited an average of just 7 days to be assessed, while in Bromley it was 112 days. Meanwhile the NHS has stated that they aim to offer an assessment after 8-12 weeks with a further wait of 8 weeks for treatment to commence. Interviewee Niamh Walsh endured a 6 month wait for treatment and it meant by the time it was offered counselling she had already resorted to private treatment, so she turned down her place. The next time she applied, around a year later, the wait was 4 months. She stated, “I experienced first-hand the helplessness you feel as a CAMHS patient as well as a significant decline in my mental health during the wait. If the waitlist had of been shorter, I am certain I wouldn’t have got to the point that I did with anxiety, panic and OCD and being unable to access service when they are needed is actively making children worse.”

But why are mental health services under so much pressure? Well according to a recent report by the Children’s Commissioner, COVID-19 is a leading cause of worsening mental wellbeing in children. Almost 200 thousand children were referred to CAMHS between April and June of 2021, up 134% on the same period the previous year – 200k children in just 3 months. Many children stated the lack of stability and sociability caused by COVID-19 meant when lockdown ended, going out was much harder.

Regarding CAMHS, A 17-year-old was quoted saying “the lack of help with mental health has been the biggest thing that has stopped me and my friends from achieving what we want. It is difficult to access as we are not taken seriously, and when we are, waiting lists are so long”. It is not just this survey suggesting teens feel the CAMHS service is not up to scratch, social media is another example.

In 2021, a new trend arrived mocking CAMHS councillors for the flaws in the therapy process. Multiple videos indicated patients felt belittled, deceived and patronised during the sessions, for example being forced to refer to their diagnosed depression as a “low mood” – which many felt completely undermined the seriousness of their condition. Another example were patients told sessions were confidential, only later to find therapists had reported everything to parents. This trend caused a stigma around CAMHS and lead to many dismissing it as a futile organisation. But does this come as a surprise? Training courses typically consist of just 60 days of university, spread across a year, and there are currently just over 15,000 CAMHS staff in England, dealing over 430k children seeking help. With such significant numbers of patients, they face a variety of cases and with limited training, therapists are put under intense pressure to deal with issues with minimal resources. Many have stated this is due to government funding, as CAMHS currently accounts for just 0.7% of NHS spending.

147 young people aged 15 to 19 took their own lives in 2020, rising to 198 in 2021 – a 35% increase. According to the British Journal of Psychiatry, about 7% of children have attempted suicide by the age of 17 and almost one in four say they have self-harmed in the past year. With cases rising, there is a fear schools may begin to boycott the organisation as unhelpful to younger people.

Children living in households in the lowest 20% income bracket are two to three times more likely to develop mental health problems than those in the highest. They are unable to access mental healthcare when they need it and can’t afford to seek private help. There is a risk if the NHS doesn’t focus on providing better services in deprived areas a class gap in mental health will start. Even prior to an increase of cases during lockdown, the NHS was only treating 1 in 3 children who needed help.

When asked about her experience with CAHMS, Niamh Walsh stated, “In 2022, I suffered with severe anxiety and panic attacks and decided to go through CAMHS for treatment. My first hurdle was being referred. I cried on a zoom call to a GP whilst explaining my experience and all she said was, “what do you want me to do”. She explained that GPs no longer do CAMHS referrals, and we should have gone through my school. It was humiliating. I was later referred through school, which was very understanding. So, after 4 months I was in my first session and despite feeling unsure about CAMHS due to its social media reputation, I had an amazing experience. The councillor was kind, experienced and understanding, and after my 6 weeks were up, I was panic attack free. It goes to show CAMHS can provide a good service, just one that is very hard to access.”