Northamptonshire shares its experience in child and adolescent mental health at international convention

CHILD and adolescent mental health specialists from Northamptonshire will be visiting Hungary in August to speak at the European Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s (ESCAP) international conference. The team will be sharing the Northamptonshire approach to working with children and young people who have difficulties managing their emotions with mental health specialists from around the world.

Dr Sachin Sankar, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist has been invited by ESCAP to chair a conference session on the theme of “emotional regulation”.

He and Dan Buys, the trust’s principal psychologist in child and adolescent mental health, will be presenting a paper at the session, looking at the aggressive behaviours and unprovoked anger often displayed by “tinderbox children” – those children and young people who “explode” without apparent warning.

Such difficult behaviours can be associated with mental health difficulties among children and young people who have conditions such as autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders (ADD or ADHD), substance misuse, and challenging behaviour.

Dr Sankar will argue that emotional regulation is critical to many areas of child development as it affects the quality of life of the whole family, as well as the child involved.

Emotional regulation involves helping people to understand their emotions and develop skills that enable them to manage their feelings. Without these skills children and young people are vulnerable to later mental health problems, which can affect family life and success at school.

The presentation will review pharmacological interventions, early community intervention and emotional regulation skills. As part of the session Dan Buys will lead a discussion on how primary care teams, specialist mental health services and child health services can contribute to developing and promoting emotional regulation.

“We firmly believe that child mental health is everybody’s business,” said Dr Sankar.

“Helping children and young people develop the skills they need to understand and manage their emotions requires a multi-pronged approach that involves a wide range of professionals, as well as their families.

“This approach can really help children and young people become more effective and creative in coping with difficulties, giving them and their families a happier and more successful life.”

Dr Sankar will also be joined by Drs Marla Minn-Din and Imran Mushtaq from Northamptonshire for a workshop on treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Both doctors have considerable experience in managing ADHD in children and adolescents and will be sharing the expertise they have developed.