UK’s largest study of children’s mental health treatment launched by Cambridgeshire health trust

The largest national study of children’s mental health treatment has been developed by researchers in Cambridgeshire to help improve access to treatment.

The £2.1million trial from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) is exploring how training more health professionals, including qualified nurses and those starting out on their careers, can support young people aged 11 to 17 with depression.

The Cambridge Independent is highlighting the trial as part of our support for the Love Research campaign launched by three Cambridgeshire health trusts, highlighting the value of clinical trials.

“Depression and mood disorders can be devastating for young people and their development. There are significant waiting lists for young people to access treatment, and the demand is rising,” says CPFT’s consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr Anupam Bhardwaj.

“The number of young people seeking help with mental health has also increased significantly in recent years for a number of reasons, and local authorities and social care providers are under pressure.

“Training clinicians is expensive and takes time, so we need to look at how we can treat more young people as soon as they need help and in a cost-effective way.”

Dr Bhardwaj and consultant psychologist Dr Clare White are co-investigators for the trial, which is named BAY (Behavioural Activation for Young people with depression in specialist child and adolescent mental health services).

They have worked with colleagues at the University of Manchester to develop a manual that forms the basis for an intensive training and assessment process that staff must undergo before delivering behavioural activation (BA) techniques for trial participants.

BA is a simpler, more cost-effective alternative to cognitive behavioural therapy.

It can also be delivered by more junior mental health practitioners or those at the start of their career, such as new psychology graduates.

BA relies on helping individuals with depression to take simple, practical steps towards enjoying life again. It exploits the fact that engaging in fulfilling or healthy activities can make people feel good, which makes them more likely to keep participating in those activities.

“We want to deliver treatments and therapies as soon as possible, and in a cost-effective way, so it’s important to know the type of treatment which works. The BAY study looks at how effective this manualised form of behavioural activation therapy can be as a treatment for children with depression,” adds Dr Bhardwaj.

The BAY study is also one of the first trials to look at hybrid delivery of BA, meaning patients can choose either in-person or online support.

A bespoke online tool facilitates activities and interactive work for the remote sessions, with activities chosen by the young person based on their values and interests.

The study has already completed its pilot phase.

Teams have now been given approval to progress the study to more than 500 young people nationally over four years, which will make it the largest study of children’s mental health treatment in the world.

CPFT is one of six NHS trusts taking part in the UK. Led by the University of York, it is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Dr Bhardwaj says: “Research into treatment for depression in young people is relatively limited. There is a huge need for more studies to develop safe, effective and efficient treatment for children and young people’s mental health difficulties. Training clinicians and staff takes time, and increasing capacity alone to meet demand is not enough. We must embed research in our work to improve patient outcomes.

“There is not only a longer-term strategic impact to research, but also more immediate benefits. Clinical teams who participate in research achieve better patient outcomes, have higher patient satisfaction, and greater staff morale and retention. Research is an essential aspect of our day-to-day work.”

Contact wru@cpft.nhs.uk to take part.

The Love Research campaign has been launched by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.