Child and Adolescent Mental Health & Learning Disabilities

Current Awareness Bulletin

With thanks to our colleagues at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation trust the latest CAMHS and Learning Disabilites bulletin is now available to view and download. Some articles are freely accessible, others require an Open Athens account. Please get in touch for support with this: academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk.

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Public Health

Current awareness updates

Antimicrobial resistance surveillance in Europe 2022 – 2020 data (2022).
World Health Organization (WHO); 2022.
[The report presents a regional and European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) overview, including traffic-light maps for priority drug–bug combinations of public health relevance, as well as 42 country and area profiles.]

Commentary: Climate change worry among adolescents-on the importance of going beyond the constructive-unconstructive dichotomy to explore coping efforts-a commentary on Sciberras and Fernando (2021). [Abstract]
Ojala M. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2022;27(1):89-91.
[This opinion piece comments on Sciberras and Fernando’s (2021) article in which an 8-year longitudinal study is presented. The authors investigate trajectories of climate change worry through adolescence and associations with measures of depression and engagement with news and politics in late adolescence. Their objective is to explore whether climate change worry is a constructive or unconstructive psychological phenomenon.]

Commentary: Three tasks for eco-anxiety research – a commentary on Thompson et al. (2021). [Abstract]
Pihkala P. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2022;27(1):92-93.

Commentary: Proactive practices to support youth coping with climate change – a commentary on Martin et al. (2021). [Abstract]
Flanagan C. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2022;27(1):94-95.
[Based on the scoping review of literature on youths’ anxieties and worries associated with their understanding of climate change, I suggest three practices for supporting youth coping: emphasizing what they can do through environmental action; emphasizing group over individual efforts – working in peer teams and networking with adult organizations dedicated to environmental action; and focusing on human impact in the place where they reside and ways they can observe and monitor that impact.]

Limitations of the new ISO standard for health and wellness apps.
Neal D. The Lancet Digital Health 2022;4(2):e80-e82.
[Software apps for health and wellness are proliferating rapidly. Policy makers, health-care providers, and consumers can benefit from assessment and standardisation of these apps, to support decision making in a rapidly developing field. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published a standard in July, 2021. However, we fear that, in its current form, the standard could stigmatise some app users and worsen inequalities in access to digital health technologies.]

Young people’s engagement with climate change issues through digital media – a content analysis.[Abstract]
Parry S. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2022;27(1):30-38.
[The reporting of climate change issues through social media can influence young people’s mental health and engagement. However, there has been little research undertaken directly with young people in relation to social and digital media’s reporting of climate change, and how this is experienced by young people. This study aimed to explore the interface between climate change and social media reporting for young people.]

Place-based civic science-collective environmental action and solidarity for eco-resilience.[Abstract]
Gallay E. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2022;27(1):39-46.
[We explored how place-based civic science (PBCS) can provide opportunities to engage youth in environmental understanding through teamwork in which youth feel that they belong to a group larger than themselves and gain a sense of hope from working with others toward shared goals. We argue that combining PCBS pedagogies of collective action and collaborative learning spaces can help to buffer against distress as CYP grapple with global environmental crises.]

Case study: Digital media for sexual health promotion.
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR); 2022.
[This case study provides an overview of a research project carried out by a team of researchers at University College London. The scoping review found that interactive digital interventions (IDIs) are effective for sexual health promotion and HIV prevention. They could be rolled out much more widely to complement school sex and relationships education and sexual health services.]

Physical health checks for people living with severe mental illness: a partnership approach to improving health checks in primary care.
Equally Well UK; 2022.
[This resources provides a partnership approach to improving physical health checks for people living with severe mental illness. Through data and intelligence, a summary of key strategic drivers and policy commitments and accessible check lists, the resource aims to provide guidance on the prioritised action required to prevent premature mortality, morbidity and inequalities experienced by people with severe mental illness.]

Leading the change: social prescribing within the fitness and leisure sector.
UKActive; 2022.
[This report calls for public health initiatives to help raise awareness of social prescribing in gyms, pools and leisure centres in order to reduce the pressure on the NHS. The report, sponsored by Matrix, makes four key recommendations to develop and grow social prescribing within the fitness and leisure sector.]

Signs and symptoms of suicidal ideation in children and adolescents.
Carried out by Frankie Marcelline from Sussex Health on 26/1/2022
[This is a broad evidence search for a new training course for social workers working with children and adolescents with, or at risk of, suicidal ideation/ behaviours and their families. It includes results on signs and symptoms of suicidal ideation in those under18 years old.]


Public Health

Current awareness updates

Alcohol is one of the biggest risk factors for breast cancer.
World Health Organization (WHO); 2021.
[Alcohol is classified as a Group 1 human carcinogen by IARC. It is causally linked to 7 types of cancer. Besides female breast cancer, it increases the risk of developing oral cavity (mouth), pharynx (throat), oesophagus (gullet), liver, larynx (voice box) and colorectum (large intestine and rectum) cancers. There is no safe level of alcohol consumption. The risk of breast cancer increases with each unit of alcohol consumed per day.]

Myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy)/chronic fatigue syndrome: diagnosis and management.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2021.
[This guideline covers diagnosing and managing myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy)/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in children, young people and adults. It aims to improve awareness and understanding about ME/CFS and when to suspect it, so that people are diagnosed earlier. It includes recommendations on diagnosis, assessment and care planning, safeguarding, access to care and managing ME/CFS and its symptoms.]

Eligible for a free flu vaccine this winter? Don’t wait, book it.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA); 2021.
[With flu and COVID-19 expected to be in wide circulation together this winter, UK Health Security Agency is urging more people than ever to get their free flu vaccine, if they are eligible. In this blog the UK Health Security Agency answers some common questions about this year’s flu season.]

The use of wearables and health apps and the willingness to share self-collected data among older adults.
Seifert A. Aging and Health Research 2021;1(3):100032.
[The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which older adults utilize mobile health tracking tools in everyday life and their willingness to share the collected health-related data with doctors, health insurance companies, or research institutions. 75.0% of the participants used at least one mobile device; 22.9% used health-related apps. Participants were more often willing to share their data with doctors than with health insurance companies or researchers.]

Changes in childhood experimentation with, and exposure to, tobacco and e-cigarettes and perceived smoking norms: a repeated cross-sectional study of 10–11 year olds’ in Wales.
BMC Public Health; 2021.
[Children’s experimentation with and exposure to tobacco, and their perceptions of smoking as a normative behaviour, have continued to decline alongside growth in exposure to e-cigarettes. Although a large majority of pupils reported they minded people smoking around them, there was some evidence of diminishing disapproval of secondhand smoke since 2007.]

Understanding Sexual Aggression in UK Male University Students: An Empirical Assessment of Prevalence and Psychological Risk Factors.
Sexual Abuse; 2021.
[University-based sexual aggression is an international public health issue; however, to date, there have been no formal assessments of the prevalence or psychological indicators associated with the proabuse behaviors of the most common perpetrators at UK universities: heterosexual male students.]

Patients as team members: Factors affecting involvement in treatment decisions from the perspective of patients with a chronic condition.
Health Expectations; 2021.
[From the patients’ perspective, this study shows that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to involving patients more actively in their healthcare journey. Strategies aiming to enhance active patient involvement among patients with a chronic condition should consider this diversity in perspectives among these patients.]

Lead exposure in children: surveillance reports (from 2021).
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA); 2021.
[Results of laboratory-based surveillance of elevated blood lead concentrations in children in England.]

Seasonal flu vaccine uptake in children of school age: monthly data, 2021 to 2022.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA); 2021.
[Cumulative vaccine uptake data for the childhood seasonal flu programme in England.]

Review: Physical activity interventions for the mental health and well-being of adolescents – a systematic review. [Abstract]
Hale GE. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2021;26(4):357-368.
[Rates of physical activity decline throughout adolescence, and evidence indicates that this has an adverse impact on psychological health. This paper aims to synthesise available evidence for physical activity interventions on the mental health and well-being of young people (11-19 years) from the general population.]

Telehealth interventions: remote monitoring and consultations for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). [Abstract]
Janjua S. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2021;7:CD013196.
[BACKGROUND: Face-to-face visits with health professionals can be hindered by severity of COPD or frailty, and by people living at a distance from their healthcare provider and having limited access to services. Telehealth technologies aimed at providing health care remotely through monitoring and consultations could help to improve health outcomes of people with COPD.]

Strategies to improve smoking cessation rates in primary care. [Abstract]
Lindson N. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2021;9:CD011556.
[OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of strategies intended to increase the success of smoking cessation interventions in primary care settings. To assess whether any effect that these interventions have on smoking cessation may be due to increased implementation by healthcare providers.]

Living with dementia: my life, my goals.
Alzheimer’s Society; 2021.
[A new self-help guide for people living with dementia. The guide helps people with dementia achieve their goals step-by step. It was created by researchers from the GREAT trial in collaboration with people living with dementia.]

Public Health

Current awareness updates

How has cognitive behaviour therapy been adapted for adolescents with comorbid depression and chronic illness? A scoping review.[Abstract]
Morey A. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2021;26(3):252-264.
[BACKGROUND: Depression becomes increasingly common in adolescence. Around 10%-20% of adolescents have a chronic illness, and they are more likely to experience depression. There is emerging evidence for cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) interventions to treat depression in adolescents with chronic illnesses, yet no review has been undertaken of how these CBT interventions are delivered in practice.]

The best terminology to describe self-harm: “There is more that unites us than divides us”.
The Mental Elf; 2021.
[Angharad de Cates reviews a recent study which examined international definitions of English-language terms for suicidal and self-harm behaviours.]

Education, schooling and health summary.
Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England; 2021.
[Summary of the existing evidence of the health and wellbeing benefits of school-age education. This paper aims to summarise the existing evidence of the health and wellbeing benefits of school-age education, including the wider impacts on mental and physical health and wellbeing of being in school and the observed impacts of the loss of education in the last 18 months.]

Does the IAPT self-referral process work for people living in poverty?
The Mental Elf; 2021.
[In her debut blog, Alice Potter reviews a qualitative study exploring different perspectives on the accessibility of current IAPT self-referral processes for people with mental health problems living in poverty.]

STI rates remain a concern despite fall in 2020.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
[New data from Public Health England (PHE) reveal that diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) decreased in 2020 by 32% compared to 2019.]

Promotional material: Flu immunisation for social care staff.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
[Leaflets for social care workers and personal care assistants to support the annual flu programme.]

Dismissed for too long: recommendations to improve migraine care in the UK.
The Migraine Trust; 2021.
[This report found a wide range of issues with migraine health care, including slow or no diagnosis and lack of access to specialist care. It sets out the action needed from the government, health care systems and other organisations to give everyone living with migraine in the UK the support they need.]




Covid 19

Current awareness updates

Preventing and controlling outbreaks of COVID-19 in prisons and places of detention.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
[Information for prisons and other prescribed places of detention on coronavirus (COVID-19).]

COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing COVID-19.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2021.
[In September 2021, NICE added new recommendations on non-invasive respiratory support and doxycycline, and updated existing recommendations on heparins.]

COVID-19 shared learning from NHS trusts.
NHS Employers; 2021.
[Despite the relentless pressures of COVID-19 on NHS trusts, we have seen innovation, transformational change, and real improvements to enhance the experience of staff across the service. This page presents seven examples of good practice from trusts that have adapted and innovated during the pandemic.]

Debate: Is there a true global children and young people’s mental health crisis, fact or fiction?[Abstract]
Ford T. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2021;26(3):272-273.
[Following COVID-19, there has been increasing concern about the well-being of children and young people across the United Kingdom; however, our major problem is the lack of robust data. We discuss emerging research capturing the impact of restrictions and experiences of COVID-19 on children and young people.]

Debate: The toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors.[Abstract]
Melhem NM. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2021;26(3):274-275.
[The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) in children are still not fully known. However, COVID-19 and the mitigation strategies to limit its transmission have affected children and adolescents through increased parental morbidity and mortality, increased poverty and financial strain, social isolation, and lost connectedness to school, peers, and afterschool activities.

Experiences of maternity care during the COVID-19 pandemic in the North of England.
Stacey T. British Journal of Midwifery 2021;29(9):516–523.
[During 2020, UK maternity services made changes to service delivery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to explore service users’ and their partners’ experiences of maternity services in the North of England during the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents (n=606) completed a co-produced survey during August 2020. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis.]

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

COVID-19: long-term health effects.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Information and guidance on persistent health problems reported following acute COVID-19 disease. There is accumulating evidence to suggest that cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) who have experienced both mild and severe symptoms can experience long-term health effects. This document provides information on the health problems reported in COVID-19 cases following acute disease, and guidance for healthcare professionals on how to advise recovering COVID-19 patients.)

COVID-19 in schools: study shows drop in infections Public Health England (PHE); 2021

(Round 4 of the Schools Infection Survey (SIS) shows a significant drop in the number of secondary school pupils and staff testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).)

Women’s Health Strategy: Call for Evidence.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2021.

(DHSC are seeking your views to help inform the development of the government’s Women’s Health Strategy. The easiest way to participate in the call for evidence as an individual is by completing the public survey. They also welcome written submissions from individuals or organisations who have expertise in women’s health, such as researchers and third-sector organisations. Written submissions can include the contribution of data, research and other reports of relevance to women’s health.)

Teachers’ concerns about pupils’ mental health in a cross-sectional survey of a population sample of British schoolchildren.[Abstract]
Mathews F. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2021;26(2):99-105.

(Understanding how well a teacher concern predicts mental disorder in a child or young person is important for mental health teams who need to respond to referrals. CONCLUSION: While teacher concern does identify those with poorer mental health, it is only moderately predictive of a disorder. When concerned about a child or young person, discussions with parents or others who know them may help teachers identify those who most need support.)

The relationship between alcohol-related hospital admission and specialist alcohol treatment provision across local authorities in England since passage of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
British Journal of Psychiatry 2021;:https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2020.120.


(The results suggest that the local authority areas in England most in need of adequately funded specialist alcohol treatment are not receiving targeted increased funding, and that the national rise in alcohol-related hospital admissions may be fuelled by local authority funding cuts to specialist alcohol treatment.)

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