We all get worried or angry about things that happen to us and this is normal. But if there’s something making you feel like this a lot of the time you might need some extra help to understand it and to cope with it. This is where CAMHS can help.
The best thing to do is speak to someone you trust. This might be your mum, dad or teacher. They’ll be able to find the right person to help you, and if you need help from a service like CAMHS, through your school or your doctor, they can refer you to us.
Feeling worried, anxious and stressed about things from time to time are normal feelings, but when they last for a long time, they overwhelm you and they affect your everyday life, you may need some extra help to cope.
You may need help if you’re:
- Feeling anxious and scared
- Hurting yourself, or wanting to self-harm
- Having problems with eating and food
- Having issues at school or with friends
- Hearing voices or seeing things
- Struggling to control your behaviour or temper.
If you feel like you need help right now
We don’t have a helpline here at CAMHS but there are many services that offer help and support to young people who are struggling and need help now.
Childline
Contact Childline anytime. Calls are free and confidential.
Call: 0800 1111
Talk to someone you trust
You may find it helpful to talk to your mum, dad or carer. If this isn’t possible or you don’t feel you can, you could talk to someone else you trust, like a teacher, or another relative.
Talk to your doctor
Your doctor may be the first person you talk to about how you’re feeling. They may refer you to CAMHS if they feel this will help you.
Eating disorders service
We know that young people, and their families and carers, often feel blamed and isolated when they have an eating disorder. We want to get to know the person behind the eating disorder and draw on family and community strengths to help you get better.
If you’re a young person or parent you can call the service between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday on 020 8354 8160 and ask to speak to the Duty Eating Disorder clinician who will discuss your concerns.
The first person you meet is our friendly receptionist, who will let the person you’re coming to see know that you’ve arrived. You might sit in our waiting room for a bit - so bring a game or book if you want (or your phone on silent please).
Don’t worry though we won’t keep you waiting long!
We’ll ask you in to one of our quieter rooms where we can talk without being disturbed. Your mum, dad or carer will be able to come with you.
What we’ll talk about
When you first come to see us, we’ll want to get to know you, and find out what life’s been like for you. We might ask you about school or friends or the kind of things you like doing. You can ask us questions too. So before you come, you could write down things you want to say and bring them with you.
Remember – you’re not alone. One in four of us will experience some kind of mental health problem at some time in our life and we’re here to help find a way to make you feel better.
At some point you and the CAMHS team will think about what will happen when you leave CAMHS.
It might be that you are feeling better and no longer need to us. Or sometimes you may need to move on to other services, for example if you need more intensive support, or you reach adulthood and need support from adult services.
You and your family will agree with staff when you’re ready to leave the service and staff will make sure you know how to get back in touch with us if you need to.
Tips for transitioning to other services:
- Before you leave CAMHS we’ll have a meeting with to assess your needs with you and work on a care plan, setting out what support you’ll get when you move on
- You’ll have lots of notice of your transition from CAMHS so you know what to expect and when
- This is about your life, so you’ll be involved in the decisions
- If you’re not happy with what’s being offered to you, then please speak to us.
You’ll have the right to be heard, and your opinions matter.
If you’re not yet 18, you’re a child (or a teenager) under the Children Act 1989 – or in law.
This means that you’re protected in law from actions or behaviours of anybody - whether acting alone or as part of a group - who might try to harm you in any way. This may be physical or sexual harm; it may be harm that happens as a result of your physical and emotional needs being neglected, or it may be emotional harm from verbal abuse, which includes bullying.
Often adults or other young people who may hurt you are well known to you. They may be your mum or dad, they may be your brother or sister, another relative. They may be at school, or may have been a friend at some stage.
What to do if someone is hurting you
If someone is hurting you, talk to an adult you trust - maybe someone in your family, or a teacher at school. You can speak to your doctor, or therapist in CAMHS, a school nurse, health visitor, or police officer.
If you’re worried or feel in danger at any time, you can ChildLine on 0800 1111, it’s free and confidential.
If you’re worried about someone, it can help to talk about it, or encourage them to speak to someone.
What to do if you’re worried about a friend:
- Try and talk to your friend and ask them to tell you what’s wrong
- It might be difficult for them talk about what’s wrong, especially if they’re scared or worried about what will happen if they talk
- If they don’t want to talk to you, suggest that they talk to a teacher or someone else they trust about what’s happening
- If you think your friend might be in danger or are really worried about them, you could tell an appropriate adult, such as a parent, school nurse or teacher.
Will telling someone make me a grass?
No. Telling an adult if your friend is having problems won’t make you a grass. It’s hard to support your friends alone if their problems are serious. It’s natural that your friend might not want to tell anyone, and it might be because they’re scared but it’s OK to talk to someone if you’re worried, even if your friend says that they don’t want you to.