- Page navigation anchor for Young people who have fallen through the mental health transition gapYoung people who have fallen through the mental health transition gap
I very much enjoyed reading your article which describes in detail the issue of how young people fall through the mental health transition gap and how primary care could better support their needs. I'm sure you are probably right that this is the first time the issue has been looked at in so much detail in the medical literature, but it has for many years been discussed within social care. In my experience though we have a role not only at the point of transition into adult services but all the way through the child's timeline. Many children receive a diagnosis from community paediatric teams of autism at age 3 - 8 years and are discharged back to primary care with little ongoing input from us as GPs about how the family can best support the child. As far as I am aware it is very unusual for these children to be reviewed regularly in primary care despite the known link with anxiety and sleep difficulties. Many are referred to CAMHS in their teens due to escalating mental health needs including self-harming.
The coaching programme I have created for families with children on the waiting list for CAMHS is also proving helpful for young people with neurodiversities including those in transition between CAMHS and AMHS. This group includes young parents - I am holding in mind a young man who fell through the gap you describe despite already being a parent at the point of discharge from CAMHS. The 'beginner 'level of the coaching programme is availa...
Competing Interests: I have created and lead a coaching programme for young people as they are discharged from CAMHS and for families with children on the waiting list for CAMHS - see www.alpiricoaching.co.uk.