Mental Health for Children and Young People

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Covid-19

The Coronavirus is a worrying time for everyone, but can be particularly unsettling for children and young people. For advice on helping young people during the Covid-19 pandemic visit this very helpful link to Young Devon's Coronavirus Webpage.

Let's Talk Mental Health

Helping children and young people deal with the mental and emotional challenges they encounter growing up.

Mental health includes your psychological and emotional wellbeing. Lots of young people can struggle with their emotions and how to handle their feelings. It is important to understand that your mental health and wellbeing is just as important as your physical health and wellbeing.

This section is all about the services available to children, young people and their parents / guardians. Growing up in modern times can bring some really difficult situations. We are here to help support our young people through this time in their life; developing coping strategies for now, but also skills for the future.

What does it look feel like?

People who are struggling with low mood or anxiety can experience some of the following symptoms:

• Feeling hopeless
• Feeling sad and/or tearful
• Losing interest in things you used to enjoy such as hobbies
• Low self-esteem
• Less energy
• Difficulty sleeping

Sometimes, these feelings can be intense and affect you physically such as feeling your heart racing, feeling faint, sweating or tingling in your fingers or lips.

If these thoughts are getting in the way of everyday life, then getting support to make positive steps forward is a good idea.

Some people experiencing this have thoughts about harming themselves. It is important to understand what self harm is, and to break the stigma around feeling ashamed about self harm.

Why?

Sometimes this happens because of stressful events such as exams, bullying or the death of someone close to them and sometimes there is no clear cause.

 

Helpful resources

Here are some useful resources to look at

• Young Minds: Support and resources for mental health conditions. They can help you to understand how you're feeling and help you to find ways to make yourself feel better. 
• The Mix: Lots of guides and tips to help you with any mental health struggles. 
• Talking Therapies: Find out about talking therapies, and whether they could work for you.
• Every Mind Matters: Looking after your mental health providing a page full of self-care tips.

Specific support for men's mental health and wellbeing

• Andy's Man Club
• The Men's Shed
• The Men's Mental Health Forum

Apps

A collection of apps available from CAMHS Resources

Young Devon

Young Devon offers advice and support about the following:  

• work and study;
• health and well-being;
• leaving care support;
• housing and welfare rights;
• sex and relationships;
• alcohol and drugs;
• travel;
• and much more.

Kooth - XenZone

XenZone is a provider of online mental health services for children, young people and adults.

Kooth, from XenZone, is an online counselling and emotional well-being platform for children and young people, accessible through mobile, tablet and desktop and free at the point of use.

Haven - Open Door – Exmouth

Haven is a safe space for young people to meet, a peer support group to learn coping strategies, to be listened to, and to realise that they are not alone.

Parent Support
Haven offers a monthly informative and relaxed parent session to inform and empower parents to feel better equipped to support their child with their emotional well-being. 

Children and Family Health Devon

A single point of access to get help with:

• Specialist School Nurses
• Autism Spectrum Assessment Service
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
• Children in Care Service
• Community Children’s Nursing Service
• Devon’s Family Information Service for Children with Additional Needs (SIGNPOSTplus)
• Learning Disability Team
• Occupational Therapy
• Palliative Care
• Public Health Nursing
• Rehabilitation Officers for Visually Impaired Children (ROVIC)
• Social Services – Children with Additional Needs
• Specialist Children’s Assessment Centres (SCAC)
• Speech and Language Therapy

CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services)

No need to wait for a referral, click on the link below to self -refer for specialist assessment and treatment for mental health problems.

CAMHS – Conditions assessed / treated include:

• ADHD with associated mental health difficulty
• Anxiety
• Attachment disorders
• Autistic spectrum disorder with associated mental health difficulty
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Enduring emotional and behavioural problems
• Mental health problems associated with learning disability
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Prolonged adjustment disorders (i.e. post-traumatic stress disorder or abnormal grief reaction)
• Psychosis
• Self-harm
• Suicidal ideation
• Tourette’s and complex tic disorder

Autistic Spectrum Assessment

For those parents / guardians who are concerned that their child might be on the autistic spectrum and would like to requests an assessment.

Headspace

Learn to meditate and live mindfully

• Hundreds of themed sessions on everything from stress and sleep to focus and anxiety
• Bite-sized guided meditations for busy schedules
• SOS exercises in case of sudden meltdowns 

Frank

Helpful information about drugs and drug misuse.