child and adolescent

Birth – 18 years.

Our child and adolescent Blogs

Young people with psychotic symptoms should be offered CBT before antipsychotics, according to new RCT

No Responses »
Profile photo of Andre Tomlin
Posted by
shutterstock_38544994

Antipsychotic drugs are currently prescribed to a significant proportion of young people who are diagnosed with psychosis. Past research has estimated that up to half of people at risk of developing psychosis at a young age will progress to a full blown psychotic illness such as schizophrenia. A new landmark randomised controlled trial has been [read the full story…]

Targeted psychotherapies work best for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders, according to major new meta-analysis

No Responses »
Profile photo of Andre Tomlin
Posted by
shutterstock_48429856

Around 10% of children are diagnosed with anxiety disorders before the age of 16 and for many this can be a long lasting problem that has a major impact on their development. There’s lots of research in this field and many systematic reviews have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of talking treatments for this [read the full story…]

Review finds no consensus on developmental or behavioural outcomes for children of parents with learning disabilities

No Responses »
Profile photo of John Northfield
Posted by
family on beach

The authors of this review set out to take a comprehensive look at the literature relating to the outcomes for Children of parents with learning disability to test assumptions that such children are at risk of poor outcomes. The authors identified 26 studies from a database and reference search published in one year from March [read the full story…]

Insufficient evidence to recommend tricyclic antidepressants as a treatment for autism spectrum disorders

No Responses »
Profile photo of Andre Tomlin
Posted by
shutterstock_67277872

Young people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are usually given some kind of behavioural or educational intervention to help improve their overall functioning. However, in some cases, those individuals who have high levels of repetitive, obsessive-compulsive type behaviours and mood disorders are treated with drug interventions, although there is little high quality evidence to support [read the full story…]

NHS Atlas for children and young people highlights sevenfold variation in mental heath inpatient admissions

No Responses »
Profile photo of Andre Tomlin
Posted by
shutterstock_75511264

Following on from the recent publication of the DH Atlas of Variation in Healthcare, Right Care have now released the equivalent atlas for children and young people. The document and the online interactive atlas present variations across the breadth of child health services provided by NHS England. The aim is to highlight unwarranted variations that [read the full story…]

Web-based CBT is equal to face-to-face CBT at reducing anxiety in adolescents, accordingly to randomised controlled trial

2 Responses »
Profile photo of Andre Tomlin
Posted by
shutterstock_95054356

I’ve blogged about computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (CCBT) a few times over recent months and highlighted research that shows it is effective in treating a range of mental health conditions. Research shows that most young people do not seek treatment for anxiety problems. There are lots of good quality reviews and trials that support the [read the full story…]

Review recommends assessing sleep problems in early intervention programmes for children with developmental delays

No Responses »
Profile photo of John Northfield
Posted by
Sleep

The authors of this U.S. review set out to look at the evidence of the impact of sleep problems across the range of children screened for early intervention. Sleep disorders can have an impact on behaviour, cognition, and growth—which are the same areas that can be targeted by early intervention. They point out that developmental [read the full story…]

Systematic review finds limited evidence for the use of omega-3 fatty acids in autism spectrum disorders

1 Response »
Profile photo of Andre Tomlin
Posted by
shutterstock_87877549

Previous research has highlighted that people with autism spectrum disorders may be deficit in omega-3 fatty acids and that taking supplements may help to improve the symptoms of the condition. This new Cochrane systematic review set out to review the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids for improving core features of autism spectrum disorder (e.g. social [read the full story…]

No robust evidence that formal mentoring programmes help adolescents resist drugs and alcohol

No Responses »
Profile photo of Andre Tomlin
Posted by
shutterstock_12045709

Picture the scene: adolescent boy with an absentee father, trying to fend off a large crowd of men who occupy his house, cost him a lot in food and drink and are all determined to marry his mother. He is young, inexperienced, lacking in confidence and besieged by problems. In short, he needs a mentor. [read the full story…]

Well conducted studies are urgently needed to assess the adverse effects of antipsychotics in children and young people

No Responses »
Profile photo of Andre Tomlin
Posted by
shutterstock_89193115

There is a great deal of debate about prescribing antipsychotics to children and young people. Prescription rates of these drugs has risen sharply over the last few years, but there remains only limited evidence about the safety and efficacy of these medicines. The second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) have become more popular and this is partly due [read the full story…]