ACAMH’s blogs bring together timely, evidence-based insights on child and adolescent mental health, written by leading researchers, clinicians, and those with lived experience. They are designed to translate cutting-edge research into accessible, practical guidance that supports better outcomes for children, young people, and families.
Blog
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Using a case formulation to identify what maintains anxiety
Case conceptualisation helps clinicians move from a description of a young person’s symptoms to an account of what may be keeping them going. In the session on science-informed case conceptualisation, Professor Bryce McLeod illustrated his five-step model with a single case of social anxiety in a young adolescent girl. The case shows how a formulation can bring maintaining factors into view, including the coping strategies of the girl and her mother, and then shape treatment and the conversation with the family.
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Engaging young people in therapeutic conversations about self harm
Conversations after self-harm can help young people understand their experiences and identify changes that matter to them. McCabe et al. (2026) describe how the Supporting Adolescents with Self-Harm (SASH) intervention combines therapeutic assessment, enhanced safety planning and solution-focused brief therapy. Through four young people’s cases and one carer’s case, they illustrate collaborative work grounded in each person’s language, relationships and hopes, offering examples of practice and proposed mechanisms of change, rather than trial results demonstrating that SASH reduces subsequent self-harm.
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The Transition Dip: Why School Transitions Are a Systemic Challenge for Adolescent Wellbeing
The transition to secondary school coincides with major adolescent neurodevelopment changes, creating unique challenges during a period of heightened neuroplasticity.
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How Neurobiology Can Inform Our Understanding of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury
Why does non-suicidal self-injury develop and what sustains it? Explore Kaess et al. (2021) on biological, psychological, and social factors, including stress, pain, emotion regulation, and vulnerabilities linked to ongoing self-injury.
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Where to start when ADHD and Depression overlap
During her talk on treating ADHD and depression, Dr Ramya Srinivasan opened with a case. The question, then, was not simply whether he was struggling, but what was driving that change. Was this part of his ADHD, a sign of depression, or some combination of the two?
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ACAMH Awards Shortlist: Spotlight on Excellence in Research and Practice
The ACAMH Awards aim to recognise high quality work in evidence-based science, both in publication and practice, in the field of child and adolescent mental health. Congratulations to the shortlist nominees.
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Rethinking Autistic Camouflaging
What is autistic masking, and does it always harm wellbeing? Explore new research on camouflaging, impression management, identity, social pressures, and autistic burnout.
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When ‘Insomnia’ Is Not Insomnia: Understanding Circadian Delay in Adolescents
Could teenage “insomnia” actually be circadian delay? Explore how puberty, school schedules, and biological sleep timing may shape adolescent sleep problems.
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The use of the term ‘complex’ in mental health services: is it time to move towards more inclusive language?
What happens when we describe a young person’s mental health presentation as “complex”? This commentary explores how the language of complexity may create barriers to care.
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Self-Harm in Young People: Turning Contact with Services into Opportunities for Care
New research explores self-harm, service contact, and suicide among young people, highlighting the need for comprehensive assessment and coordinated support.
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