CAMHS Referral Information
If you are a child or young person and feeling worried about your mental health, you're not alone, and it's okay to ask for help. Try talking to a parent, carer, or another adult you trust. They can help you figure out what to do next.
CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. We help children and young people (aged 0–18) who are struggling with moderate to severe mental health difficulties.
That means your thoughts, feelings, or behaviours are making life really hard at home, school, with friends, or in your day to day life.
That means your thoughts, feelings, or behaviours are making life really hard at home, school, with friends, or in your day to day life.
CAMHS might be the right place for you if:
• You’ve been feeling very low, worried, or overwhelmed for a long time
• Your emotions or behaviours are having a big impact on how you live your life
• You’ve already tried support from school, your GP, or community mental health & wellbeing services, but things haven’t improved
• Your mental health is affecting several parts of your life, not just one
• Things feel very unsafe or complicated and you need more specialist help
Most children and young people come to CAMHS after trying other supports first. However, if you are in crisis or at very high risk, your GP may ask for you to be seen sooner.
• You’ve been feeling very low, worried, or overwhelmed for a long time
• Your emotions or behaviours are having a big impact on how you live your life
• You’ve already tried support from school, your GP, or community mental health & wellbeing services, but things haven’t improved
• Your mental health is affecting several parts of your life, not just one
• Things feel very unsafe or complicated and you need more specialist help
Most children and young people come to CAMHS after trying other supports first. However, if you are in crisis or at very high risk, your GP may ask for you to be seen sooner.
CAMHS teams include different professionals (psychologists, nurses, doctors, therapists) who can offer assessment for difficulties such as:
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Eating disorders
• Post-traumatic stress (which can happen after something scary or upsetting has happened)
• Mental health difficulties linked to physical health conditions
• Self-harm or suicidal thoughts – when these are part of a broader mental health difficulty
• Mental health problems alongside neurodevelopmental differences (like autism or ADHD)
CAMHS can also work with you and other adults around you (family, school, social work) to help to better understand your difficulties and what can help improve them.
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Eating disorders
• Post-traumatic stress (which can happen after something scary or upsetting has happened)
• Mental health difficulties linked to physical health conditions
• Self-harm or suicidal thoughts – when these are part of a broader mental health difficulty
• Mental health problems alongside neurodevelopmental differences (like autism or ADHD)
CAMHS can also work with you and other adults around you (family, school, social work) to help to better understand your difficulties and what can help improve them.
CAMHS can’t see everyone, and it’s not always the right place for certain kinds of support. But this doesn’t mean what you’re going through isn’t real or important, it absolutely is.
CAMHS isn’t the right service for:
• Mild or short term mental health difficulties
• Problems that may be better supported by your school, GP, or community wellbeing services e.g. behavioural difficulties as a response to significant life events; difficulties only occurring in school; or offending behaviour or substance misuse where this is the primary concern.
• A standalone autism or ADHD assessment when mental health isn’t the main issue
CAMHS isn’t the right service for:
• Mild or short term mental health difficulties
• Problems that may be better supported by your school, GP, or community wellbeing services e.g. behavioural difficulties as a response to significant life events; difficulties only occurring in school; or offending behaviour or substance misuse where this is the primary concern.
• A standalone autism or ADHD assessment when mental health isn’t the main issue
This simply means there are other services that are more appropriate to help with what you need right now.
You’re not being dismissed, it’s about making sure you get the right help in the right place. Where possible, we will always try to provide recommendations of where to go next if we don’t accept the referral.
If you’re waiting to hear from CAMHS and you’re feeling unsure or worried, it’s okay to ask for help. You can speak to your GP or the person who sent the referral. They can check what’s happening and talk things through with you. CAMHS does have a waiting list. We are following the guidelines from the Scottish Government for children and young people to be seen within 18 weeks of referral with a mental health concern
You’re not being dismissed, it’s about making sure you get the right help in the right place. Where possible, we will always try to provide recommendations of where to go next if we don’t accept the referral.
If you’re waiting to hear from CAMHS and you’re feeling unsure or worried, it’s okay to ask for help. You can speak to your GP or the person who sent the referral. They can check what’s happening and talk things through with you. CAMHS does have a waiting list. We are following the guidelines from the Scottish Government for children and young people to be seen within 18 weeks of referral with a mental health concern