The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Lockdown presents new challenges for diagnosis
● Mental health boss says NHS considering ‘new and novel ways’
NHS Grampian will be exploring new methods for diagnosing conditions such as ADHD and autism as lockdown progresses.
Dr Lynne Taylor, clinical director of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in Grampian, took part in a Facebook Live event this week on the effect of lockdown.
Staff are doing their best to reach as many vulnerable young people and children as they can by using laptops and headsets.
Dr Taylor, who has four children, described headsets as “a doctor’s new stethoscope”.
She added: “Going forward with Covid-19, technology is something we all will have to get used to.
“We don’t want people to feel abandoned, and are lucky in CAMHS that staff have the IT to offer appointments through a software called NearMe.
“Some things are a bit trickier – like the assessment of things like autism and ADHD as we very much rely on the school to give us reports or we do school observations.
“So we are having to think in new or novel ways about how to gather that sort of information.”
More young people are taking appointments online but there have been fewer referrals to the service.
Echoing calls from cancer and health charities, Dr Taylor stressed that GPs still want to hear from people struggling with mental health issues.
She said: “The main message we want to get across to people is that it is totally understandable to have unusual emotions at the moment, because we are in an unusual situation.
“There is the worry that lots of children and young people will have mental health problems after this, and parents might be worried about that too.
“Lots of people want straight answers now on when things will go back to normal, but normal will be quite different in future so adaptability is one of the things we are trying to encourage.”
Feedback to CAHMS has also been that for many families it is not a time of distress, but one for quality time together.
Dr Taylor suggested people might set up routines to make their day go faster, and allow time to get caught up in a good book or lost in a jigsaw to break up the day.
And she highlighted websites children, young people and their parents might find useful.
They include camhsresources.co.uk/coronavirus and youngscot.org
NHS Grampian also has a “Keep CAMHS and Carry On” podcast at open.spotify.com/ show/14WHT2L