Adolescents' and parents' views of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services ( CAMHS ) in I reland

Abstract

Accessible summary Despite increasing focus on researching users' experiences of mental health provision, there are few studies which report adolescents and parents' experiences of attending child and adolescent mental health clinics in Ireland. We found that a lack of information and availability of services made it difficult for participants to access help. They want to be included in information sharing and decision making, but adolescents in particular felt that their voices were not heard in the decision‐making process. Frequent staff changes were particularly difficult for adolescents as they need consistent relationship with a key professional to build trust and disclose thoughts and feelings. Provision of flexible consultations (both single and shared), with sensitivity to the differing perspective of adolescents and parents, coupled with inclusion in information sharing and decision making would significantly improve the experience for adolescents and parents. Abstract Service user involvement is essential for quality care in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). This study was conducted to explore adolescents' and parents' experiences of CAMHS in relation to accessibility, approachability and appropriateness. This study used a descriptive qualitative design, and focus groups and single interviews were conducted with adolescents (n = 15) and parents (n = 32) from three mental health clinics. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Accessing mental health services was a challenging experience for many parents and adolescents due to knowledge deficit, lack of information and limited availability of specialist services. Some parents and adolescents reported positive experiences while others reported negative experiences. They expressed a need for more information, involvement in decision making, flexible scheduling of appointments, school support and parent support groups. The nature and quality of the relationship with staff was critical to positive experience with the service; therefore, frequent changes of medical staff was disruptive. Mental health nurses can play a vital role in ensuring continuity, assessing adolescents' participation preferences and advocating for their information needs with other members of the interdisciplinary team.

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