Breaking down barriers in child mental health

PA345 /10 Parents face many barriers in seeking help for their child's mental health problems, according to new research led by experts in psychiatry at The University of Nottingham. The study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that parents are often deterred from asking for professional help for their child because of embarrassment, stigma and the fear of their child being 'labelled'. Other common barriers to treatment include difficulty in getting GP appointments and parents' reticence in raising their concerns about their child during a short appointment. The research also revealed that parents can hold back from seeking help because they are worried about receiving a diagnosis, or being judged a poor parent or even that their child may be taken away from them. The study was led by researchers in the University's Division of Psychiatry with collaborators at King's College London. The team held focus groups with 34 parents who had concerns about their child's mental health. Most of the children had clinically significant mental health symptoms or associated impairment in function.