Martin Pratt

Neuroanatomical Variability and Early Substance Use Initiation: Insights from the ABCD Study Adolescence is a period of rapid brain development, making it a sensitive window for experiences that may shape long-term outcomes. A new study from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) p...

www.acamh.org/blog/neuroan...

Interventions to reduce self-harm in youth

The brilliant Prof Dennis Ougrin gives a 6min explainer talk on 'Interventions to reduce self-harm in youth'.

He highlights its link to suicide risk, and emphasises timely, therapeutic assessments, and immediate follow-up post-emergency room visits.

bit.ly/Dennis-Ougri...

Do pls share♥️

This new paper builds on previous research reviewing the effectiveness of the Integrative Holistic Model of Play Therapy. Clinical outcomes collected over 5 years from normal practice settings are analysed using robust statistical testing playtherapy.org.uk/outcomes-and...

Go beyond symptom management—help your clients with #ADHD, and their families, thrive! Our Motivational Interviewing (MI) training covers practical tools to enhance self-efficacy & collaboration throughout the treatment process.

EARLY BIRD! https://bit.ly/44OwGnY

#CAMHS #CAMH

Autism experts question HHS statements on Tylenol, leucovorin Concerns include the administration’s reliance on weak, correlational evidence rather than established research.

Does paracetamol cause autism? The short answer is: no. www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/aut...

Debate section in this month’s @acamh.bsky.social CAMH journal:

Are we over-pathologising young people's mental health?

With Rachel Hiller, our perspective: “Research shows otherwise – mental health conditions are not being recognised or diagnosed in healthcare settings”

doi.org/10.1111/camh...

Latest child and adolescent mental health news in the ACAMH enews
mailchi.mp/acamh.org.uk...

Includes...
CAMH journal #OpenAccess Special Issue
New ACAMH Learn video on #Parenting styles
Blog on #Autistic Adults Transitioning to Independence
Mind the Kids pod on #Anxiety & #Paranoia

Incorporating Motivational Interviewing into Evidence-Based Treatments for ADHD Parent-Teen Therapy for Executive Function Deficits and ADHD: the STAND approachThis presentation provides specialized training in Motivational Interviewing (MI) for professionals working with individ...

Join our webinar on 6 November 2025 (1pm) to learn how to address motivational challenges in ADHD, use Motivational Interviewing strategies to boost engagement, tailor treatment to personal goals, manage non-adherence, & support patient autonomy throughout the treatment process tinyurl.com/mr3bdzyh

Simple teacher assessments of language difficulties in first year predict academic struggles throughout primary school. Most children eventually get SEN support, but it's inconsistent & drops off at transitions. Early identification + sustained support needed tinyurl.com/439rm3hr

Autism: Myth Busting

ACAMH Learn - Dr. Amy Pearson challenges five common misconceptions about autism, using contemporary evidence to advocate for a modern perspective that promotes a more informed and inclusive understanding of autistic individuals.
acamhlearn.org/Learning/Aut....

Meta-analysis (19 RCTs, n=1,720): Improvements in constructive parenting, reduced non-constructive parenting & parent–child affection jointly explained concurrent reductions in child #ADHD symptoms, oppositional behaviour & functional impairment. Full article 👇 tinyurl.com/4dc98e5z

Doctors Horrified After Google's Healthcare AI Makes Up a Body Part That Does Not Exist in Humans In Google's May 2024 research paper introducing healthcare AI model, Med-Gemini, the AI made up a body part that doesn't exist.

Google’s Med-Gemini healthcare #AI claimed a patient had an “old left basilar ganglia infarct.” That body part doesn’t exist. Experts warn these hallucinations in clinical contexts aren’t typos—they’re risks to patient safety futurism.com/neoscope/goo...

New research reveals school-based interventions can reduce screen time & boost physical activity in students, but we need better studies to guide policy. The variation in findings highlights why local context matters for effective interventions acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

What are the likely causes of #Depression in adolescence?

Explore the key features and prevalence of adolescent depression, and why early prevention matters with this interesting talk on ACAMH Learn from Prof Andrew Lewis.

Watch now! https://bit.ly/4k1oJRs

How to Support Young People with Eating Disorders

Via #ACAMHlearn - Kim Sheffield covers essential insights on identifying and discussing eating disorders among youth. She offers specific guidance tailored for parents, educators, social or youth workers, and peers.
acamhlearn.org/Learning/How....

Social Fears in Children: The Roles of Parental Communication and Child Temperament A recent longitudinal study by Zeytinoglu and colleagues (2025) provides insights into how parental verbal communication and child characteristics contribute to the transmission of social fears. The s...

New research: Children's social fears develop through the interplay between how parents talk about social situations and each child's unique temperament. Gentle, supportive communication—tailored to individual sensitivities—may help reduce social fears tinyurl.com/mrek3627

🩺 Psychotropic meds save lives, but they can also affect almost every system in the body.

From weight gain to heart rhythm changes, sexual side effects & sleep problems; these impacts are often overlooked.

Lancet Commission OUT TODAY offers evidence-based ways to prevent & manage them.

🧵 THREAD

Promising #PTSD study result: Online cognitive therapy showed 80% lower odds of meeting PTSD criteria vs waitlist control. 94% participant retention, no therapy dropouts & benefits sustained 38 weeks later. All feasibility thresholds met for larger trial acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Safety and beyond? Exploring children's priorities for their participation in the child protection and welfare process Participation by children and young people is an increasingly important guiding principle in child protection policy and practice, thanks to the influ…

This conceptual paper opens up new child-centred perspectives on children's participation in child protection, arguing that more attention to child centred participation can enhance participatory and protective practices in the field of child protection
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#Autistic females face a diagnostic maze: more likely to receive psychiatric diagnoses before autism AND continue needing care for them after. The clinical challenge? Distinguishing true support needs from overlapping presentations to ensure timely, appropriate care tinyurl.com/3zpx26sy

YouTube video by Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Mind the Kids - Dysgraphia and neurodevelopmental disorders: Insights from research

🆕🎤Mind the Kids pod - Dysgraphia and neurodevelopmental disorders: Insights from research

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts from, or catch on www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1UC...

@claragfaria.bsky.social welcomes Associate Professor Thomas Gargot to talk about digital interventions

Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) ADHD is a behavioural disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, affecting both home life and educational settings. ADHD extends beyond behavioural and academic challenges,...

For more evidence-based information on #ADHD, visit our topic guide www.acamh.org/topic/adhd/ and explore our growing range of free to access talks on ACAMH Learn acamhlearn.org/Topic/ADHD%2...

8pm, Channel 4 this evening - 'Do you have #ADHD?', a Channel 4 documentary - featuring Clare Bailey Mosley. @acamh.bsky.social President Prof Stephen Scott provides expert information about ADHD in children, separating fact from fiction on ADHD traits www.channel4.com/programmes/d...

Teacher-reported language difficulties predict academic struggles up to 7 years later across phonics, reading, writing & maths. Concerning: 38% of children with speech/language needs lose their SEN registration when transitioning to secondary school acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Research on 4,485 Spanish schoolchildren- air pollution may worsen anxiety/depression symptoms, green spaces reduce behavioral problems. PM10 pollution linked to 6% increase in internalizing behaviors; nearby greenery (100m) associated with 6% decrease in externalizing behaviors tinyurl.com/4c5785bh

Adolescence at Risk: Online Misogyny, Mental Health, and the Urgent Need for Action Manosphere communities are characterised by rigid beliefs, distinct lexicons and recruitment mechanisms. They propagate misogynistic rhetoric, externalisation of blame, biological determinism and gend...

Adolescence at Risk: Online Misogyny, Mental Health, and the Urgent Need for Action
www.acamh.org/blog/adolesc...
Excellent new blog from @ariadnaalbajara.bsky.social

Insights from Two Decades of Statewide Data on the Diagnostic Rates among Autistic Females A 2024 study by Harrop and colleagues reflects how the landscape of autism diagnosis for females has evolved. Drawing on more than 10,000 diagnostic records from the TEACCH Autism Program in North Car...

Insights from Two Decades of Statewide Data on the Diagnostic Rates among Autistic Females

A 2024 study by Harrop and colleagues reflects how the landscape of autism diagnosis for females has evolved. www.acamh.org/blog/insight...

File on 4 Investigates - Hospital abuse caught on camera - BBC Sounds How mistakenly switching on CCTV triggered the UK’s biggest adult abuse investigation.

A very difficult listen. When the parent of a patient in a psychiatric hospital questioned why he couldn’t see CCTV footage of an incident involving his son it led to a series of extraordinary discoveries www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Blades and Wounded Minds: exploring the links between youth mental health and knife crime This webinar "Blades and Wounded Minds: exploring the links between youth mental health and knife crime" examines the complex relationship between youth mental health issues—particularly trauma and an...

Blades and Wounded Minds: exploring the links between youth mental health and knife crime
www.acamh.org/event/mental...
FROM £5! This webinar examines the complex relationship between youth mental health issues—particularly trauma and anxiety—and the rise in knife crime among young people.

ARFID: What We Know About Psychological Treatments So Far A recent review by Willmott et al. (2023) examined what is currently known about psychological interventions for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) in children and adolescents. It highl...

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a relatively new diagnosis, first defined in DSM-5. Which treatments are showing promise? How is progress measured? What can clinicians take from this? Read on for the latest evidence www.acamh.org/blog/arfid-p...