Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) and Alternative Provision in Education

In this In Conversation podcast , we are joined by the President of PRUsAP, Sarah Johnson. Sarah also advises the Department for Education for Alternative Provision and is the Director of Pheonix Education Consultancy.

Discussion points include: The definition of SEMH and what Alternative Provisions are like in the UK. The challenges children with SEMH needs may face in the classroom environment. How equipped is mainstream education to support SEMH needs of children.

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Mood Disorders in Children and Young People: What is new?

The 2024 Emanuel Miller International Conference has an incredible line-up, and not one to miss. Book before Monday 19 February, 12 noon UK time, and you’ll be entered into a prize draw to get your place for FREE! We’ll refund your place if you are our lucky winner (one Member and one Non-member).

Professor Boris Birmaher ‘The Challenging of Diagnosing Pediatric Bipolar Disorder’ Professor Valeria Mondelli ‘Mechanisms underlying depression: immunopsychiatry’

Dr. Rasim Somer Diler ‘Differential Diagnosis of Bipolar vs Unipolar Depression in Youth’

Professor Bernadka Dubicka ‘Coping with demand: brief interventions in adolescent depression & UK BAY trial’

Professor Andrea Cipriani ‘Antidepressants in Children and Adolescents: Meta-Review of Efficacy, Tolerability and Suicidality in the Acute Treatment’

Associate Professor Meredith Gunlicks-Stoessel ‘Updates on Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Children and Adolescents’

Professor Argyris Stringaris 'Fundamental Problems with the Evidence Base for Adolescent Depression Treatments'

Dr. Matthew Hodes and Dr. Victoria Pile will also present.

The sessions will revisit postulated mechanisms and risk factors, refer to major treatment trials and treatment guidelines, address the complexity of treating co-morbid conditions, offer treatment algorithms and provide an update on our understanding of the early onset, and the often resistant to treatment, of the chronic and recurring nature of mood disorders.

Recent blogs

International Mentoring Day - Dr. Luis Farhat is a final year medical student at the Faculty of Medicine FMUSP, University of S?o Paulo. In his blog Luis comments on the importance of mentoring, and shares his experience of being part of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry?Affiliate Editor programme to support, through mentorship, young professionals in child and adolescent mental health.

Photovoice within Mental Health Research Involving Adolescents - Madison Stephens is a Ph.D. student affiliated with the Wolfson Institute of Population Health at Queen Mary University London. Madi’s blog summarises a recently published systematic scoping review by Stephens and colleagues (2023), which explores the use of Photovoice within mental health research involving adolescents. Photovoice is a research method developed by Wang and Burris combining photography and narrative.

Parental Mental Health: Childhood Outcomes and Importance of Creating Positive Relationships - Starting a family can be a considered a big milestone for some, however the transition to parenthood can be difficult for both men and women, with the exacerbation or onset of mental health problems following parenthood. UK Parent Mental Health Day (27 January) aims to challenge the stigmas surrounding parents’ and carers’ mental health, we encourage you to explore the learning opportunities available on our website, and to share with your networks.

Why we need to consider the world of young carers – A tribute to Jean Tomsett

FREE recorded talks from Associate Professor Dr. Rebecca Lacey on ’Research highlights into the mental health of young carers’, and Lisa Howells & Amber Trotman from The Care Collective Young & Parent Carer Team on ‘Young Carers in Schools Programme: Identifying and Supporting Young Carers in Education’. This is session from a webinar organised by the ACAMH Wales Branch, focused on the role young carers play, run as a tribute to our long serving Committee Chair, Jean Tomsett, who was passionate that young carers be recognised for the role they play in society and be supported to help them develop. Watch the video above, via our website , or YouTube channel .

WEBINARS

All ACAMH webinars are centred around evidence-based research, and our speakers are some of the leading lights in the field. ACAMH is a charity, and we receive no government funding, nor do we ask for donations. We try to keep our costs as low as possible. Don’t forget as a charity any surplus made is reinvested back as we work to our vision of ‘Sharing best evidence, improving practice’.

Can’t make it on the day? Don’t worry! Delegates have exclusive access to recordings and slides for 90 days after the event, plus a personalised CPD certificate via email.

Understanding and supporting children looked after and adopted children

It is recognised that the children looked after population is often on clinical caseloads, yet there appears to be little discussion around both the impact of their early life experiences on their neuropsychology, and the practical aspects of working with this specific population due to this. This webinar will focus on the mental health of children looked after and adopted children. 12 March 2pm UK. See website for details

Featured Papers from ACAMH journal JCPP

Exposure to prenatal infection and the development of internalizing and externalizing problems in children: a longitudinal population-based study

A large body of work has reported a link between prenatal exposure to infection and increased psychiatric risk in offspring. However, studies to date have focused primarily on exposure to severe prenatal infections and/or individual psychiatric diagnoses in clinical samples, typically measured at single time points, and without accounting for important genetic and environmental confounders. In this study, we investigated whether exposure to common infections during pregnancy is prospectively associated with repeatedly assessed child psychiatric symptoms in a large population-based study.

Authors: Anna Suleri, Anna-Sophie Rommel, Alexander Neumann, Mannan Luo, Manon Hillegers, Lotje de Witte, Veerle Bergink, Charlotte A. M. Cecil

Testing the social motivation theory of autism: the role of co-occurring anxiety

The Social Motivation Theory proposes that social reward processing differences underlie autism. However, low social motivation has also been linked to higher anxiety. Given the co-occurrence between autism and anxiety, it is possible that anxiety drives the association between social motivation and autistic characteristics. This study tests the mechanisms underlying the association between social motivation and autistic traits.

Authors: Eloise Bagg, Hannah Pickard, Manting Tan, Tim J. Smith, Emily Simonoff, Andrew Pickles, Virginia Carter Leno, Rachael Bedford

‘Editorial: Prevention is the best cure – or is it? A cautionary tale’

In large parts of the Western world prevention is considered a necessary, core component of successful youth care practice. Yet, mental health problems in young people do not appear to have declined over the past decades. How to explain this paradox? In this editorial for the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, several possible explanations are explored, one of which centers around how prevention is being operationalized—primarily, nowadays, as a screen-and-resolve ‘troubleshooting’ approach, rather than as an approach that supports the development of good health, competence, and resilience.

Authors: Geertjan Overbeek

Call for abstracts

ACAMH Malta welcome abstracts related to loss and cultivating strength in children and adolescents. We are especially looking for presenters to discuss aspects related to trauma and loss to help children cope. Successful applicants will present at the ACAMH Malta Annual Conference – ‘Navigating Loss, Cultivating Strength: Strategies for Enhancing Children’s Mental Health’, Thursday 25 and Friday 26 April 2024 at Villa Arrigo. For full details please visit the website

FREE ACAMH Posters! Helping You, Help Others

As part of our commitment to sharing information and best practice globally, we are delighted to offer you the chance to get FREE A3 posters, including FREE delivery! Order now and be part of the advancement of child and adolescent mental health.