Association For Child And Adolescent Mental Health (acamh)

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.13766 In this podcast, Professor Nick Allen, Director of the Centre for Digital Mental Health at the Department of Psychology at the University of Oregon talks about developmental transitions from childhood to adolescence. Nick discusses the types of mental health problems that commonly emerge during or after this period, and details some of the interesting interventions he is using. This includes the exploration of digital ways of tracking and analysing behaviour to detect mental health needs, using digital tools for the detection of mental health difficulties, and its provision of personalised interventions.

In this podcast Tochukwu Nweze, lecturer in the Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and, PhD student in MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge talks about his recent paper on parentally deprived Nigerian children having enhanced working memory ability (read the research digest of the paper), how important is it to study cultural differences in cognitive adaption during and following periods of adversity, and how can mental health professionals translate this understanding of difference into their work.

Professor Emily Jones of the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development at Birkbeck University of London talks neurodevelopment, attention training and intervention. Emily talks about her research around understanding cognitive and neural mechanisms that drive variability in the early development of core skills, why early development is highly important and translating findings into clinical practice.

In a special episode of our In Conversation series, we hear from Dr. Faith Orchard about her recent paper, co-author by Prof. Alice M. Gregory, Prof. Michael Gradisar, and Dr. Shirley Reynolds, titled Self-Reported Sleep Patterns and Quality amongst Adolescents, Cross-Sectional and Prospective Associations with Anxiety and Depression. The paper is part of the October 2020 Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry Special Issue on Sleep 'Waking Up to the Importance of Sleep for Child & Adolescent Mental Health & Disorders'.

Second episode in our ‘In Conversation Tourettes Syndrome’ series, with Lucy Toghill of Tourettes Action discussing education, and educating, about Tourettes.

In this podcast Professor Anne-Laura Van Harmelen talks about her new appointment of Professor of Brain Safety and Resilience, the work of Risk and Resilience Group, and its work on HOPES project and RAISE Study. Within this Anne-Laura discusses how the brain responds to stress, the idea of a ‘developmental time window’, and the importance of taking a complexity science approach. Please subscribe, rate, and review.

 Associate Professor Mina Fazel talks child refugee mental health, the predominant symptoms seen in this group, and how are these children and young people can be best supported. The conversation includes discussion about unaccompanied minors, many of whom end up in care, the 'red flags' to look out for refugee children joining a school, and the school based interventions to help. 

We are delighted to bring you the first in a new series of podcasts that focus on Tourettes Syndrome. Dr. Seonaid Anderson will be talking to leading players in the field, rising stars of research, clinicians, and experts by experience. She'll be discussing the latest evidence-based research, what's in the pipeline, together with insights for mental health professionals, those working with young people and tips for parents. ‘In Conversation Tourettes Syndrome’ kicks off with Camilla Babbage, PhD researcher in Applied Psychology at the University of Nottingham, giving an overview of the development an App for young people with tics, with the specific aim of improving wellbeing.

Professor Sue Fletcher-Watson discusses developmental disabilities, in particular in autism, how children develop and learn, and in particular in cases where this follows an unusual trajectory. Sue all talks about research on communication and interaction styles, using a fascinating example of 'diffused chains'. She also talks about using technology for learning with augmentative and alternative communication systems, and her work at the Salveson Mindroom Research Centre, and Development Autism Research Technology.

Dr. Ola Demkowicz discusses mix-method research and how it enables researchers and policymakers to understand the big picture. She discusses her research on the TELL Study (Teenager’s Experiences of Life in Lockdown) a quantitative approach which involved 16-19 year olds writing about their own experiences in lockdown. Ola also discusses how over time our definitions of resilience have changed and the role of circumstance and mitigating factors.

Ann discusses when challenging behaviour can be deemed as Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), and how to recognise it in an autistic child. Although PDA is not currently formally recognised as part of an autism diagnosis, there is growing evidence showing it can be included in an autism profile. Ann suggests strategies to try at home to help manage the behaviour, getting to the core of the behaviour and how to have conversations with teachers, schools and other institutions to support children.

In this podcast Dr. Maria Loades discusses Covid19 and its implications for young people’s mental health, the Rapid Systematic Review exploring the repercussions of the pandemic on social isolation and loneliness, together with her work on the IMPACT study. She also talks about her project to develop a school-based intervention in South-Africa for preventing anxiety and depression, through a CBT based approach, to be delivered by counsellors in classroom settings to young adolescents.

In her work Dr. Jessica Schleider tries to break down the barriers that prevent young people from reaching services, whilst providing accessible interventions to help reduce mental health problems that scale. She does this through her research, testing novel approaches to dissemination in non-traditional settings. 

In this episode, Ann discusses different types of support that can be tailored to children with an autism diagnosis. A diagnosis can be a key for a parent, unlocking the right support for their child. They discuss interventions such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness, and briefly music, art and occupational therapy. 

In this podcast Dr. Andrew Beck talks about the changes he has seen in CAMHS and how it is being affected by the COVID19 pandemic, why CBT is his intervention of choice, and the reasons he advocates behavioural activation to improve the mood children and families during the COVID19 pandemic. Dr. Beck is the President Elect of BABCP, taking the position in July 2020 and he talks about his hopes for the future of the organisation including working in partnership with ACAMH.

Professor Sam Cortese discusses ADHD, research in relation to clinical decision-making in child and adolescent psychiatry, the importance of systematic reviews, and his work on the European ADHD Guidelines Group and its work on ADHD management during the covid-19 pandemic. Professor Cortese also talks his work as lead researcher for the collaborative outcome study on health and functioning during infection times, the COH-Fit Study. A transcript, with relevant links, is available from the ACAMH website Please do rate and review this podcast.

Assistant Professor Dr. Dienke Bos discusses neuroscience, and in particular neuroimaging. The interview looks at the typical development of behavioural control and how this is represented naturally, magnetic resonance imaging to monitor brain changes in relation to childhood development, and where the evidence is that early intervention can slow or reverse damage. Dr. Bos also talks about her research on longitudinal studies, how social emotional processing evolves from adolescence into early adulthood, and what's in the pipeline for her work.

Dr. Emily McGlinchey, and Dr. Joseph Morning discuss Harnessing Emotional Regulation Skills. They talk about how emotional regulation manifests in children and young people, together with the key strategies and interventions. There is advice and tips for parents, and a discussion about the role of education and what schools can do. Dr. McGlinchey explains the current research, key takeaways, and importance of putting the research into practice. This is further explained by Dr. Morning as he gives examples of his work at Verbal, and WellRead.

 Dr Emma Sciberras discusses sleep and anxiety in ADHD, around 70% of children with ADHD will have sleep problems and anxiety can exacerbate ADHD symptoms. 

 Head of the mental health priority area at The Wellcome Trust Professor Miranda Wolpert MBE discusses areas of research the trust is working on.