Children’s Mental Health Week 2023: how research can help improve services for young people
More children are experiencing mental health problems, and significant delays in receiving access to services are common. The NHS Long Term plan includes commitments to widening access to services for children and young people, reducing unnecessary delays and delivering specialist care based on a clear understanding of young people’s needs and what works best for them. To achieve these goals, we need more evidence about what works and doesn’t work.
This is where our latest research can help, from investigating the effectiveness of digital therapeutic technologies to enabling early intervention and treatment for those at highest risk of developing mental health disorders.
Using immersive gaming to deliver therapy to disadvantaged children
We are currently working with schools and families in Wigan and Bolton to test a new therapeutic mobile game for childhood anxiety. Lumi Nova: Tales of Courage is designed for children aged 7-12 years and uses psychoeducation and graded exposure therapy (the active ingredients of CBT) to teach young people to self-manage their fears and worries.
Children and their parents (or therapist) set goals at the start of the game related to the child’s fears and worries. Examples include: ‘be ok with making a mistake at school’, ‘be ok sleeping on my own’ and ‘feel comfortable going to a social gathering’. Children then make their way through the intergalactic universe of the game where they encounter different scenarios and experiences, based on common childhood fears and worries. Along the way, they must complete challenges, both in the game and in real life, all the while learning the skills they need to self-manage their worries.
Lumi Nova has been shown to be effective in helping children with mild to moderate anxiety, but we don’t know how well this intervention works for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. This is what we’re currently investigating as it’s crucial that children and young people have access to services and treatments that work for them.
We’re currently recruiting children to take part in the study. If you’re a CAMHS practitioner based in Wigan or Bolton and work with children who might benefit, please get in touch Research Digital Navigator, Niamh Bolton, for more information: Niamh.bolton@gmmh.nhs.uk.
Identifying treatments for at-risk groups
Bipolar disorder (BD) is characterised by fluctuations in mood from depression to mania. It is associated with ill-health, disability and early death. Misdiagnosis and lengthy time to treatment are common. It is reported that people wait on average 9.5 years to be diagnosed, and this can be even longer when their symptoms begin before age 21. Delays in access to treatment could result in worse outcomes. Early detection and treatment could help mitigate these risks.
Most people with BD will experience their first symptoms before age 19, therefore we need to focus our efforts on identifying and supporting young people at risk of developing bipolar. The Bipolar at Risk Trial (BART), sponsored by GMMH, was a randomised control trial testing the acceptability of using CBT_BAR (a CBT treatment focused on how people make sense of low and high mood) for people identified as being at risk of developing BD. Participants spoke positively about their experiences and the impact the trial overall and the treatment had on their life. Participants (even those who did not receive CBT) noted that they appreciated the chance to open up about distressing experiences, and they felt listened to about their low and high mood.
We have just launched the next stage of this research – the BART II trial – which will test the efficacy of CBT_BAR in treating young people identified as at risk of developing. We’re working with five NHS Trusts across the UK and aiming to recruit 338 participants into our study. If you have service users on your caseload who might be eligible, please contact the research team on 0161 358 1395 or by email:
Lewis Fry - Lewis.fry@gmmh.nhs
Lydia Pearson - Lydia.pearson@gmmh.nhs.uk
Sophie Parker - Sophie.parker@gmmh.nhs.uk
Developing interventions for young people who have had distressing sexual experiences online
The number of young people experiencing online sexual abuse is on the rise. A safe and accessible intervention to support these young people is urgently needed.
In line with this, the i-Minds team is developing an app that aims to offer vital tried and tested support to these young people for the first time. As part of our study, we are working with young people across England and in Edinburgh with lived experience of online sexual abuse to develop and test an app.
The i-Minds app aims to reduce the risk of further harm and re-victimisation for young people who have experienced online sexual abuse. The app aims to build confidence, resilience, and distress management skills through a technique called mentalisation.
The i-Minds feasibility clinical trial is currently recruiting young people aged 12 to 18 who have had distressing sexual experiences online from GMMH CAMHS teams to test the finalised i-Minds app. If you’re a CAMHS practitioner based in GMMH and would like to refer a young person to the study please contact trial manager Dr Amanda Larkin for more information amanda.larkin@gmmh.nhs.uk
