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Autism, ADHD and school absence are risk factors for self-harm, according to new study

Autism, ADHD and school absence are risk factors for self-harm, according to new study

by | Apr 30, 2022 | Blog Post

Using data from over 11,000 adolescents, researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience have identified key risk factors associated with self-harm.

Research led by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has analysed factors associated with self-harm in over 111,000 adolescents aged 11-17 years old.

Read More: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/autism-adhd-and-school-absence-are-risk-factors-for-self-harm-according-to-new-study

 

Topping Out celebration marks a milestone for £65 million Pears Maudsley Centre

Topping Out celebration marks a milestone for £65 million Pears Maudsley Centre

by | Mar 29, 2022 | Pears Maudsley Centre

The building of a centre providing world-class research and better mental health services for children and young people in London and beyond reached a significant milestone today, with a celebratory ‘topping out’ ceremony attended by young people who helped design the building, local people and dignitaries.

Today’s event marks the completion of the construction of the frame of the £65 million building, partly funded by an ambitious fundraising campaign to address the urgent demands for an increased need in mental health provision for children and young people. It is being built by Integrated Health Projects, an alliance between VINCI Construction UK and Sir Robert McAlpine.

The Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People is due to open in Denmark Hill in 2023. The centre is the result of a “bench to bedside” partnership between South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College London and the Maudsley Charity, which aims to transform child and adolescent mental health care through a unique collaboration between world-leading academics and clinicians, which will significantly speed up the time taken to bring research breakthroughs into clinical treatment.

The event included ceremonial pouring of concrete to complete the roof of the eight-storey building and the placement of an evergreen bough – a tradition which dates back to Roman times, when tree boughs were used to protect buildings from evil spirits and bring in blessings from the tree spirits.

Trust Chair, Sir Norman Lamb said:

It is fantastic to see this unique building taking shape, giving an insight into the life-changing facility it is going to become.

The centre will support our local south London community, which has some of the highest levels of deprivation in the country, together with specialist national children’s mental health services that are available to everyone in England.

David Bradley, Chief Executive of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust added:

After so many years of hard work, it is incredibly exciting to see the Pears Maudsley Centre coming to fruition.

This project is rooted in partnership and collaboration and the Centre will enable us to develop ground-breaking treatments that will transform the lives of children and young people at a time when improving their mental health has never been more important.

The Pears Maudsley Centre will be home to clinicians and academics in the field of children and young people’s mental health from the Trust and from King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), as well as the outstanding Bethlem and Maudsley Hospital School and young in-patients.

It will provide treatment to young people with a range of conditions, from eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder, to anxiety, ADHD, autism and trauma.

President and Principal of King’s College London, Professor Shitij Kapur, said:

There is no other Centre like this in the world. Bringing together King’s College London’s world class researchers in mental health with clinical expertise, will enable us to find solutions together and change the landscape for children’s mental health.

This will benefit our communities locally and nationally and lead to sharing best practice across the world, influencing global policy and mental health outcomes.

It is this spirit of collaboration, innovation and creativity that will drive the culture at the Pears Maudsley Centre.

The Maudsley Charity, which backs better mental health, has contributed £10m to the project and with the partners, has also generated significant support from charitable foundations including Pears Foundation, the Rayne Foundation and individual donors.

Chief Executive Officer of the Maudsley Charity, Rebecca Gray, said:

Today’s ceremony is another significant milestone for The Pears Maudsley Centre and the partnership behind this innovative development.

But this is more than just a building. With support from philanthropists and the public we can improve mental health outcomes now and for the future. Our commitment is that we can ‘Change The Story’ on children’s mental health – and the centre is the physical embodiment of that vision.

Young patients and their families, as well as researchers and clinicians, have been involved in designing the Pears Maudsley Centre, which features connections with nature as a key aspect of the design through landscaped outdoor terraces and extensive planting on each of the building’s eight floors.

Around half of adult mental health conditions begin by the time a child reaches 14, rising to 75 per cent by the age of 24.

Going to school when you’re in hospital

by | Feb 12, 2022 | Blog Post

Roundtable discussions
Going to school when you’re in hospital

When young people use mental health services at South London and Maudsley NHS Trust as inpatients, their education isn’t interrupted or delayed. In fact, many young people find the continuity of education at the Bethlem and Maudsley School both reassuring and normalising during what is, for many, a very significant time in their lives.

“There is routine, a school, teachers, classrooms, progression and people talking about life beyond this period in hospital, a focus on the future,” said Maarten Crommelin, Head of School.

“But with the Bethlem and Maudsley School, no educational journey is imposed on our young people — we start with their needs first and then provide a personalised education approach based on that. Each journey is different.”

a young girl holding a leaf

Maarten Crommelin, Head of School at the Bethlem and Maudsley School

The school teaches young people who are inpatients or use community services at two sites, the Bethlem Royal Hospital in Bromley and at Maudsley Hospital in Denmark Hill.

While some young people join the hospital school from schools they will return to following their time at the Trust, some young people don’t yet have a school placement or have fallen out of the system. As a result, the school works closely with families, carers and community teams to support young people to reintegrate with their schools in the community following their time in hospital.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, some of these processes changed, but the school remained open and teachers adapted quickly to remote teaching.

“We were focussed on making sure we could reach all our pupils, virtually and face-to-face and have worked to support our pupils in remaining engaged with daily education, preparing for the future, building assessment evidence for last year’s interrupted GCSEs and achieving qualifications whilst in hospital” said Maarten.

“We are working to equip our pupils with what they need to succeed in the next steps of their education pathways, and look forward to our day patients returning and to be able to resume seamless reintegration for pupils back to their schools in the community.”

The school, which has just received an Outstanding OFSTED inspection, also offers careers education, helps young people to identify college placements, organises school trips to the theatre and encourages young people to continue with hobbies. It is also forming partnerships in the wider community, currently working together with the City of London Sinfonia and Young Minds.

Maarten added: “We continue to work with the hospital and the teams we work with in shared working to support young people. As a school we need to be building on our third outstanding OFSTED and developing our outstanding practise further for the benefit of our learners.”

The Bethlem and Maudsley Hospital School has an exciting future. The Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People, which is set to open its doors in 2023, will be the new home to the Bethlem and Maudsley Hospital School’s departments based at the Maudsley site.

“We are pleased to have worked closely with the designers and architects so the space in the new building will enrich pupils’ learning and education,” said Maarten.

Architects impression of a classroom in the new Pears Maudsley Centre — doors open in 2024

The school is in a unique position to be able to support children and young people with mental health needs in the wider community and internationally at a time when children’s mental health has been highlighted as a priority.

Maarten added: “We work closely with Southwark to share our expertise and together with our partners at the Trust we’re also putting hospital education on the international stage. We have a lot to look forward to.”

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Body Dysmorphic Disorder — how do I know if I have it?

Body Dysmorphic Disorder — how do I know if I have it?

by | Feb 10, 2022 | Blog Post

Roundtable discussions
Body Dysmorphic Disorder — how do I know if I have it?

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a condition which is common in children and young people. It is a mental health condition where people spend a lot of time worried and upset over their appearance and spend lots of time trying to fix it. BDD impacts around one or two people in every 100 people and can be treated. But how do you know if you have it?

a young girl holding a leaf

Dr Amita Jassi is Consultant Clinical Psychologist National and Specialist OCD, BDD and Related Disorders Clinic, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Jassi said: “As you’re developing and growing it’s normal to think about your appearance or identify a part of your appearance you don’t like very much. But for some people this can be more distressing and upsetting and have a big impact on your life. It is important to remember that having BDD does not mean you are vain or obsessed with yourself.”

To raise awareness for Children’s Mental Health Week, Dr Jassi has shared three points which may help people to recognise the symptoms of BDD.

1. You are concerned about a perceived flaw in your appearance

BDD is a preoccupation with a flaw or something wrong with your appearance that you see but other people might say they can’t see or don’t think its big deal.

It is important to remember that everyone spends time thinking about their appearance. People with BDD tend to worry about specific areas or features.

2. You are spending a lot of time thinking or worrying about it

People with BDD will spend a lot of time and headspace thinking and worrying about their appearance. These concerns may be distressing may even stop you doing things your friends are doing and impact your social life and relationships.

3. The things you are doing to make you feel better cause you more distress

People with BDD work hard to fix or hide their appearance. Some people with BDD find the steps they take to make them feel better can cause more distress, they don’t help to fix the appearance and take up lots of time. This could include going to a lot of effort with makeup, spending a lot of time choosing clothes or checking the mirror a lot. Young people with BDD may find they are spending a lot longer than their friends to leave the house or get ready for school. They may realise they are avoiding lots of situations because of their appearance worries too.

Help and support

Dr Jassi said: “Help and support is available. People with BDD sometimes feel the best thing is to change your appearance or alter it. We know this is not helpful and may only make you feel better in the short term, may not make you feel better at all or even make you feel worse. Getting help is important because symptoms probably will not go away without treatment and may even get worse.

“Support available for people with BDD including talking therapies (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy), with or without medication. We know this can make people feel much better.”

If people think they have BDD, the first step is to speak to a GP and ask to be referred to a mental health team.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts provides assessment and treatment for young people with Body Dysmorphic Disorder across the UK. Find out more https://slam.nhs.uk/national-services/child-and-adolescent-services/body-dysmorphic-disorder-service/

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South London and Maudsley marks Children’s Mental Health Week

South London and Maudsley marks Children’s Mental Health Week

by | Feb 8, 2022 | News

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust is marking Children’s Mental Health Week, which runs from 7-13 February 2022 with a full calendar of activities and information.

This year’s theme, organised by charity Place2Be, is Growing Together, and throughout the week the Trust will be sharing tips from our clinicians about supporting young people and their families. We will also be sharing updates about our exciting plans on the Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People and our ambition to transform the mental health of children and young people.

Developed by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College London’s  Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) and the Maudsley Charity, the centre is due to open its doors in 2023. The new facilities and the work to be undertaken there are a timely response to rising mental health problems amongst children and young people – a trend exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

David Bradley, Chief Executive of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“The mental health of children and young people has never been so important, and together with our partners, we are embracing the opportunity to truly transform mental health care and research for children and young people.

“I look forward to marking Children’s Mental Health Week and hearing from our experts in child and adolescent mental health services, our clinical academics and researchers from IoPPN, about our activities to support our communities throughout the week.”

Look out for:

  • Parenting tips from Professor Stephen Scott, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, and Professor of Child Health and Behaviour.
  • Simple tips and tricks in our animated Families Under Pressure Series, formulated by researchers and NHS mental health experts, which are backed by science and proven to work with families.
  • Advice and signposting to urgent mental health support for children
  • Opportunities for young people to get involved in research
  • Guides and information for people worried about a young person’s eating, weight or shape from our Eating Disorders clinicians
  • Advice and guidance on Body Dysmorphic Disorder from Dr Amita Jassi, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the National and Specialist OCD, BDD and Related Disorder Service for Children and Young People
  • A conversation with Maarten Crommelin, Head of School at Bethlem and Maudsley Hospital School who shares what it’s like going to school when you are in hospital