How do child and adolescent mental health problems influence public sector costs? Interindividual variations in a nationally representative British sample.

Background: Policy and practice guidelines emphasize that responses to children and young people with poor mental health should be tailored to needs, but little is known about the impact on costs. We investigated variations in service-related public sector costs for a nationally representative sample of children in Britain, focusing on the impact of mental health problems.

Methods: Analysis of service uses data and associated costs for 2461 children aged 5-15 from the British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Surveys.

Economic impact of childhood psychiatric disorder on public sector services in Britain: estimates from national survey data.

Background: Approximately one in ten children aged 5-15 in Britain has a conduct, hyperactivity or emotional disorder.

Methods: The British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Surveys (BCAMHS) identified children aged 5-15 with a psychiatric disorder, and their use of health, education and social care services. Service costs were estimated for each child and weighted to estimate the overall economic impact at national level.

Can standardized diagnostic assessment be a useful adjunct to clinical assessment in child mental health services? A randomized controlled trial of disclosure of the Development and Well-Being Assessment to practitioners.

Purpose: While research demands standardized diagnostic assessments as an indication of sufficient methodological rigour, there is debate about their application to clinical practice. The Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA) provides a structured assessment of psychiatric disorder. Since it can be completed on-line, it could be used by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services with few additional demands on staff.

What do parents and carers think about routine outcome measures and their use? A focus group study of CAMHS attenders.

Currently service user involvement in routine outcomes monitoring has been minimal, particularly in Children's services. There needs to be a more sustained effort to involve service users because of the valuable information that they could provide for service development and improvement. Focus groups were conducted with service users, including parents, carers and young people from a London CAMHS.