Journal
Evidence, not opinion
Practical guidance on child and adolescent mental health, written by our clinical team. No wellness platitudes.
Children and online gaming: what Ofcom's report found
Ofcom's new report on children and gaming, published on 13th October, found that more than half of young gamers play with people they have never met. Here is what it means for a child's wellbeing, what to talk about this half-term, and the signs that gaming has become a problem.
The Fonagy review: what it means for your child
The independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism reported on 9th October. It found the rise in distress among young people is real, that ADHD and autism are being diagnosed far more often without becoming more common, and that help should stop depending on a diagnosis. Here is what that means for families in England and in Wales.
Screen time and children: what the biggest review says
A review of 23 meta-analyses covering 2.8 million children, published on 28th September, links more screen use to lower attainment and to more anxiety, low mood and behaviour problems. The links are real and small, and the review cannot say which way they run. Here is what that means at home, in England and in Wales.
Right to Choose for ADHD: what the new waits mean
Four NHS areas in England now set a minimum wait before a Right to Choose ADHD or autism assessment can start, two years in West Yorkshire. Here is what that means for families in England and in Wales, and the support that can start before any diagnosis.
When your teenager feels hopeless about the future
Today is Youth Mental Health Day, and this year's theme is about the future. More than half of 16 to 25 year olds in the UK say they feel anxious about their future every day. Most of that is a reasonable response to a hard moment. Some of it is not, and the difference is something a parent can learn to hear.
What changed in school safeguarding on mental health
KCSIE 2026, the statutory safeguarding guidance for schools and colleges in England, took effect on 1 September. Its mental health section now names self-harm, eating disorders and suicidal ideation directly, lists warning signs for staff, and sets out three routes for acting on a concern. Here is what changed, and what it means if a teacher becomes worried about your child.
When a child is in crisis: what happens at A&E
New figures published on 2 September show 75,491 children and young people aged 6 to 17 attended an emergency department in England with a recorded mental health concern during 2025. The sharpest rise was among six to nine year olds. If you are wondering whether tonight is an A&E night, what matters is knowing what happens once you are through the door.
Antidepressants for under 18s: what NICE actually says
Antidepressant prescribing to children rose again this year, and the figures have been back in the national press this week. In England in 2025/26, 63,600 patients aged 17 and under were prescribed one in the community. What NICE actually recommends for this age group is narrower and more specific than most of the debate suggests.
The school phone ban: what it will and won't change
From 1 September every state school in England has to be phone free by default. The largest UK study of school phone policies compared 30 secondary schools and found no difference in pupils' mental wellbeing between those that banned phones and those that did not. The detail underneath that finding is the part parents can actually use.
Starting secondary school: what children worry about
Two large UK studies followed thousands of children through the move from Year 6 to Year 7 and asked them what they were worried about before, during and after. The answers are not the ones most parents expect, and the worry parents concentrate on is not the one their children are carrying.
New NHS mental health centres: what they mean for under 18s
The government announced 159 new NHS mental health facilities this week. It is real new capacity. There is one question the announcement does not answer, and for parents of a child under 18 it is the question that decides whether any of it applies to you.
Exam results day: the week before and the weeks after
A level results arrive on 13 August and GCSEs on 20 August. For most families the hardest part is not the envelope. It is the fortnight afterwards, once the plan has changed and everyone has stopped asking.
What the new social media curfew means for girls
The UK's new social media curfew starts this month, with a full ban for under-16s due in spring 2027. Both target the same platforms. The clearest UK evidence on why shows the mental health harm has never been evenly distributed by sex.
One in five children now have a mental health disorder
A new report puts a number on something parents, teachers and GPs already sense: the proportion of children with a probable mental health disorder has grown sharply in just three years. What matters is what that number changes about when to act.
Helping children through grief and bereavement
A child who has just lost a parent might ask what's for tea an hour after the funeral. That is not a sign they don't understand or don't care. Children grieve in bursts, not waves, and knowing the difference changes how a family gets through it.
Perfectionism and anxiety in children
Wanting to do things well is not a problem. It becomes one when falling short feels unbearable rather than merely disappointing. Here is what the evidence says about perfectionism in children, and what actually helps.
My child won't talk about their feelings
Most parents expect their children to tell them when something is wrong. What they get instead is silence. Understanding what is behind it changes what you do next.
Finding mental health help in Shropshire and Wales
Where a family in Shropshire or in Wales can turn when a child is struggling: the GP, the school, counselling and urgent help by phone, and when a specialist assessment is worth arranging.
Separation anxiety in school-age children
Separation anxiety is the most common anxiety disorder in primary-school-aged children, and the one most often misread as clinginess or difficult behaviour. Understanding what is driving it changes what you do about it.
Why is my teenager so angry? Anger in adolescence
Teenage anger is one of the most exhausting things a parent can face. Before reaching for discipline strategies, it helps to understand what is actually driving it. The answer is often not what parents expect.
OCD in children and young people: what it looks like
OCD is one of the most misunderstood conditions in child mental health. It is not about cleanliness or being organised. Here is what OCD actually looks like in children, and what the evidence says about treatment.
Self-harm in teenagers: what parents need to know
Discovering that your teenager is self-harming is frightening. Understanding what self-harm actually is, and what it is not, is the essential first step to helping them.
Eating disorders in young people: warning signs
Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric condition. Early identification dramatically improves outcomes, but the early signs are easy to miss or misread.
What to do when CAMHS says no
CAMHS thresholds have risen sharply in recent years. Many children who would once have been accepted are now turned away. Here's what families can do, and what their rights are.
Pathological demand avoidance (PDA) in children
PDA is one of the most misunderstood and contested profiles in child mental health. Children with PDA are not wilfully defiant. Understanding why they resist demands (all demands) changes everything about how to help them.
ADHD in girls: why it gets missed
Girls with ADHD are diagnosed on average five to seven years later than boys. The reasons are clinical, social, and systemic. This matters, and here is what parents and schools can look for.
Autism diagnosis in children and young people
NHS waiting times for autism assessment now reach three to four years in some areas. Understanding what the process involves, and what a diagnosis changes, helps families navigate it with more confidence.
Trauma and PTSD in children: how it presents
Post-traumatic stress in children rarely looks like it does in adults. Children may not talk about what happened. They may not seem distressed. Understanding how trauma actually presents in young people is the first step to helping them.
Anxiety in teenagers: signs parents often miss
Anxiety is the most common mental health difficulty in young people, yet it is frequently misread as attitude, laziness, or physical illness. Here is what the clinical picture actually looks like.
Social anxiety in young people: more than shyness
Social anxiety disorder affects roughly one in ten young people and is the third most common mental health condition. It is regularly dismissed as shyness. Here is why that distinction matters, and what helps.
What happens during a private mental health assessment
If you are considering a private mental health assessment for your child, this explains what the process looks like, who should be involved, what the report must contain, and what questions to ask before booking.
Sleep problems in children's mental health
Sleep difficulties and mental health problems are deeply intertwined in children and young people. Poor sleep makes every mental health condition worse. Here is what the evidence says about why, and what actually helps.
Does online therapy work for children and young people
When services moved online during the pandemic, many clinicians were sceptical. Several years of evidence later, the picture is more positive than expected, particularly for anxiety and adolescent presentations.
Emotional dysregulation in children: what to know
Emotional dysregulation is one of the most common reasons children are referred to child mental health services, and one of the least well understood. This is what it is, what causes it, and what actually helps.
School refusal: causes and what actually helps
School refusal is one of the most stressful experiences a family can face. It is also frequently mishandled. Here is what the evidence says about causes, and what approaches actually work.
How to support a teenager with depression
Depression in teenagers is serious, common, and treatable. Around one in twenty young people in the UK experiences it, and the majority never receive clinical support. Knowing what to do makes a real difference.
Getting a private ADHD assessment: what to expect
NHS waiting times for ADHD assessment frequently exceed two years. This explains what a private ADHD assessment involves, what the report should contain, how medication works afterwards, and what questions to ask before booking.
CAMHS to adult services: the transition at 18
The transition from CAMHS to adult mental health services at 18 is one of the most poorly managed moments in the NHS mental health pathway. Here is what families and young people need to know before it happens.