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In the light of recent guidance published by The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on the diagnosis and management of attention deficit disorders in children, young persons and adults, Gill Salmon, a consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist based in Swansea, South Wales, and Amanda Kirby, Professor of Developmental Disorders in Education based at the University of Wales, Newport, give an overview of the rationale for involving teachers in the assessment of children with AD/HD and the development and implementation of subsequent educational interventions. They also review the resulting training implications; explore some of the obstacles to multi-agency, multi-disciplinary working; and examine how current special educational needs policy goes hand-in-hand with the tiered approach to provision of child and adolescent mental health services in offering a graduated response to these children.

Bullying is common in schools and is often seen as an inevitable part of school life. Children who are bullied tend to be more anxious and insecure than their peers. We report the case of a 13-year-old boy who was bullied from the age of 9 and presented to the local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Team (CAMHS) with a psychotic depression. Clinical improvement and re-integration into school was achieved by use of psychotropic medication and work on building self-esteem so that the patient could assert himself, both with peers and adults. There is evidence suggesting that children and adolescents who are bullied have increased rates of referral to the CAMHS, particularly with symptoms of depression. (Int J Psych Clin Pract 2000; 4:73-75). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a story of a psychiatrist who occasionally gets summoned for medical emergency situations.